9/21/2015

NUS ranked 94th, NTU unranked in Reuters ranking of universities

The timing of this ranking by Reuters cannot come at a better time when some were drunk by the QS rankings believing that NUS and NTU were really top universities in the world. And Times Higher Education ranked NUS at 25th and NTU at 61st.  On the other hand the Academic Ranking of World Universities put NUS at 101 – 150 band and NTU at the 151 - 200 band. The differences in rankings were due to the factors used.

I would believe if there is a ranking based on gaming ranking systems, our universities would surely be ranked 1st and 2nd or some where up there at the very top. If the ranking is based on having the most modern infrastructure and modern equipment and facilities, NUS and NTU would rank ahead of the best in the UK and USA. The same too if the ranking is based on having the most foreign academic and administration staff in a local university.

But if the rankings would to be based on skill sets of graduates and employability of graduates, and the ability to produce top quality finance and banking professionals, NUS and NTU would rank somewhere in the 500s or 1000s. Hundreds of universities in India, China and the Philippines and other 3rd World universities would rank higher than NUS as their graduates are much sort after here with the right skill sets for employment. Maybe some degree mills would also rank higher as their graduates are also accepted without checking by some organizations, and probably with NUS and NTU graduates working under them and reporting to them. I said, probably, as I have no data to support this. Please feel free to disagree.

So what is so good about rankings? One thing, if there is a lack of substance, go for the superficial. As long as it looks good, sounds good, it is worth the money spent, event at the expense of getting rid of Singaporean academic core and sacrificing places that should go to our children but go to foreigners.

What do you think?
at

12 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 9:30 am

    Rb // I would believe if there is a ranking based on gaming ranking systems, our universities would surely be ranked 1st and 2nd .... //


    Our gabermen "ranked" 69.9% by sinkies.

    Hypothetically, if ranked by non-sinkies say German, French, Swede, Swiss, Arsetralians, dunno will be the same as Reuters and Academic rankings or not?

    Incidentally many ang mo find durians too pungent for their liking. Will that apply to gabermen too ...?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 10:25 am

    How can NUS or NTU be good if their graduates cannot find jobs in Singapore?
    And we have to employ graduates from India, China and Philippines.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TheSeptember 21, 2015 10:30 am

    Aiyah, don't be so harsh lah. This is a different ranking, based on different criteria, with emphasis on innovation. Even the University of Cambridge, which consistently ranked among the top 5 in other rankings, is ranked 25th in this one.

    As an example, redbean is ranked 1st as a marathon runner, but ranked 101st in the 100m sprint event. So, something must be fishy, right?

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 10:43 am

    Redbean is right. If ranking is based on superficial look good factors, Singapore universities would be among the best ivy league universities in the world.However, if ranking is based on quality of education, quality of graduates and most importantly employability, then Singapore graduates could lose out. I think it is OK, because graduates from Singapore if working in this country would fit in quite nicely. If working side by side with graduates for USA, UK or any European graduates, Singapore graduates may find it difficult to compete. The reason? Well Singaporeans have been spoon-fed all their lives, they are always afraid to make mistakes and found to be wrong. So Singaporeans graduate always toe the line, keep within safe boundaries, never take chances, poor lateral thinking skills and always go with the flow.

    So sad...... PRC, Indian and Filipino graduates are more employable. They are also cheaper.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 11:38 am

    But in the eyes of majority voters on polling day, PAP is ranked #1 as a choice, tio bo? And only #1 choice and also the only 1 is counted. And this is what really matters.

    So with that, all other rankings, including university rankings, are secondary.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 11:42 am

    So Singaporeans graduate always toe the line, keep within safe boundaries, never take chances, poor lateral thinking skills and always go with the flow.
    Anon 10:43 a.m.

    Hahahahaha. Of course never take chances lah, and not just graduates but also majority 70% of Singaporeans. Or else why they don't give chance to opposition and even got WP Teochew Ah Hia almost voted out?

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 2:49 pm

    It does not matter what we think. It is what the person believing or not believing thinks.

    Take FI for example. I think I would be plain dumb to fork out thousands of dollars to watch cars going round and round. But there are thousands willing to pay that kind of money to feed the frenzy. Same with football. What does it matter to us who wins or who loses. You still go home looking silly forking out that kind of money to feed the organisers and winners. For what? What do you get? Satisfaction?

    Hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  8. bSeptember 21, 2015 2:54 pm

    Devil is in the details. Different factors, different results.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 3:13 pm

    You still go home looking silly forking out that kind of money to feed the organisers and winners.
    Anon 2:49 p.m.

    Tiok. That's why I don't watch F1 or football matches, even if it is free. It's more fun to surf net and come to RB blog to talk sense or talk cock.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2015 11:01 pm

    imho,
    NUS - 51-100 band
    NTU - 101-150 band

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2015 4:25 pm

    All this hype about our universities being ranked highly, comparable with powerhouses from USA is bullshit really. If you observe carefully, all our high rankings come from QS and THES. In fact, both have the same origin and it used to be called the THE-QS ranking before QS decided to have its own surveys in 2009. It is based largely on some dubious faculty surveys and has been widely criticized for lack of transparency.

    Other rankings which are more respectable (and that are not as controversial as THE-QS) include the ARWU by Shanghai-JiaoTong University in China. It has consistently placed NUS in the 101-150 bracket and NTU in the 151-200 bracket. And this time round, Reuters' latest ranking seems to concur with those of ARWU - NUS and NTU should not be in Top 100 if real quantifiable data is used in the ranking methodology.

    Those of you who still think NUS and NTU are among World's best should seriously consider this: Visit any electronics mart and open your eyes. USA has Microsoft, HP, Dell, etc.; Korea has LG and Samsung; Japan has Sony, Panasonic, etc.; Taiwan has Acer, Asus, HTC and even China has Lenovo, Huawei, Oppo, etc.
    Singapore has?? How can our universities be world-class?

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2015 8:04 pm

    NTU and NUS should focus to improving teaching quality and ensuring our grads are able match the jobs in Singapore job market. This ranking is just bunch of rubbish.

    ReplyDelete