MANILA, Philippines — Ten more universities in the Philippines were included as among the higher education institutions (HEIs) which delivered on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact rankings.
Over 1,400 universities from 106 countries were considered in the Times Higher Education rankings this year. The rankings evaluate the universities' efforts in achieving the UN SDGs.
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The ten newcomers from the Philippines are:
- Mariano Marcos State University
- Central Luzon State University
- Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
- Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology
- San Beda University
- Visayas State University
- University of Asia and the Pacific
- Cebu Technological University
- St Paul University Philippines
- Tarlac State University
These schools join Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), University of Sto. Tomas (UST), Tarlac Agricultural University and Mapua University, which were included in the rankings last year.
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Prospero De Vera said on Friday that the rise in the number of local universities in the list points to the "growing internationalization campaign of HEIs and their desire to benchmark and compete with the best universities all over the world."
“I am happy that the efforts and initiatives of Philippine universities to contribute to the attainment of the SDGs are now being recognized internationally. Their inclusion among the world's best universities is an incentive to the HEIs efforts of improving their faculty profile, research, student and faculty exchanges, and degree offerings," he said in a statement shared on the CHED's website.
Ateneo tops PH list
Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) emerged as the top Philippine university, with its inclusion in the top 200 schools, according to THE Impact report.
The university was recognized for its commitment to SDG 6 (ensuring clean water and sanitation), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and SDG (17) partnerships for goals
De Vera described ADMU's rating as the highest mark attained by any Philippine university since the ranking's inception in 2019.
ADMU improved its performance this year as it jumped to the 101-200 bracket, from 201-300 in 2021.
“Ateneo de Manila again shows that beyond excellence in teaching, learning, and formation, our community - students, faculty, staff, professionals, and many other stakeholders - is a true agent of positive, real-world change," ADMU President Fr. Roberto Yap said in a statement on Thursday..
“As I’ve said last year, the THE Impact Rankings align well with our identity and mission as a Filipino, Catholic, and Jesuit institution. With or without the Impact Rankings, the best measure of how we affect change is still the number of communities and lives we helped change for the better," he said.
This year, DLSU and Mariano Marcos State University were in the 401-600 bracket. Meanwhile, UST, Tarlac Agricultural University and Mapua University were in the 601-800 bracket.
Australian institution Western Sydney University landed first place in this year's rankings for attaining high marks in SDG 6 (ensuring clean water and sanitation), SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 17 (partnerships for goals).
Launched in 2015, SDGs are considered as the blueprint in achieving a better and sustainable future.