RP schools on list of top 200 Asian universities

FOUR Philippine universities made it to the top 200 list of Asian universities drawn up by the consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. (QS) for 2010.

The top Philippine university on the list was the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, which tied with Taiwan’s National Central University in the 58th slot.

It was a big jump for Ateneo from the 84th spot last year.

State-run University of the Philippines, however, fell from 63 to 78, while University of Santo Tomas advanced to 101st from its former 144th spot.

De la Salle University suffered the worst blow among the four Philippine universities, falling to 106th from the 76th spot.

Some universities from Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand ranked higher than the four Philippine schools that made it to the top 200. The four universities also represent a glaring minority, given there are around 2000 higher learning institutions in the country.

According to Wikipedia, Quac-quarelli Symonds specializes in education and study abroad. It has over 100 employees and been operating globally from offices in London (head office in Hampstead, North London), Paris, Singapore, Stuttgart, Boston, Washington D.C., Sydney, Shanghai, and Johannesburg since its founding in 1990 by Wharton School Master of Business Administration graduate Nunzio Quacquarelli.

In measuring quality, QS used the following criteria: Asian academic peers (30 percent), papers per faculty (15 percent), citations per paper (15 percent), student-faculty ratio (20 percent), Asian employer review (10 percent), international faculty (2.5 percent), international students (2.5 percent), inbound exchange students (2.5 percent), and outbound exchange students (2.5 percent).

Rounding up the top 10 universities are the following: University of Hong Kong ; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; National University of Singapore; The Chinese University of Hong Kong; The University of Tokyo (Japan); Seoul National University (South Korea); Osaka University (Japan); Kyoto University (Japan); Tohoku University (Japan) and Nagoya University (Japan).

Nursing schools assailed

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) gave its final warning to the 147 nursing schools around the coutry that failed  to reach the national passing rate of 46.14 percent in the nursing licensure examination in the last five years.

”The quality of education won’t increase unless you phase out substandard schools,” CHED Chairman Emmanuel Angeles said during a press briefing.

Angeles said that CHED already issued memorandums to these nursing schools, ordering them to “shape up” or be “phased out” by 2011.

Angles said the closure of the substandard schools would minimize “frustrations and wastage among nursing graduates” and promote “quality education.”

CHED also announced it would require certification from the schools that their students are qualified to take the succeeding board examinations. The certificate will also serve as a permit to continue offering professional courses.

Inspections among these higher education institution, which will start simultaneously this school year, will be conducted by representatives from CHED, Professional Regulation Commission, Department of Interior and Local Government and will allot an six-month period for possible upgrades in their institution.

Students will be given the opportunity to transfer to a CHED-accredited schools should their current institution fail to comply with the set standards.

Based on the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) records, the National Capital Region has the most number of schools with “poor performance” in the nursing board exams with 22.

On the other hand, Silliman University leads the list of the top 20 nursing schools in the country with an average of 96.57 percent followed by Saint Louis University , 95.42; Trinity University of Asia, 95.06; University of Santo Tomas, 95.06 and Cebu Doctors University, 91.89.

Angeles has proposed that the budget for education be increased from 2.2 percent of the whole Gross National Product to 4 percent.

”In the whole Asia, we have the lowest budget for education,” he said.

”You cannot do it overnight. You cannot do it in six years alone. It is a long-term plan,” Angeles added. –FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO Reporter with reports from Kristine Bunda and Kevin A. Santos, Manila Times