Over 60 Philippine HEIs named ‘most innovative schools’ worldwide

MANILA, Philippines — Over 60 Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) were named among the 300 most innovative schools in the world in the 2024 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said on Monday.

From 44 last year, 65 institutions composed of 41 public HEIs and 24 private ones landed on the list.

Among the Philippine HEIs named within the 1-150 bracket of the rankings were the Far Eastern University-Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation, FEU Institute of Technology, St. Paul University Philippines, Cebu Normal University, Biliran Province State University, Mariano Marcos State University, Tarlac Agricultural University, Cebu Technological University, Samar State University and Batangas State University.

CHED chairman J. Prospero de Vera III noted that the Philippines is one of the best-performing countries in the rankings, with almost 20 percent ranked HEIs out of the 12,000 entries worldwide.

“The continuing annual increase in the number of Philippine HEIs that are subjecting themselves to international assessment and ranking is indeed outstanding. The fact that these HEIs are joining the list of the top universities, not just in the WURI rankings but also in the other international ranking bodies, shows the globalized outlook and competitiveness of our public and private universities,” De Vera said.

“The collective efforts of Philippine HEIs, assisted by CHED and the national government, are now showing results. Rest assured, we will continue accelerating internationalization, assist university-to-university linkages and foster partnerships to bring more HEIs in international rankings,” he added.

While many academics and education sector stakeholders have been calling on the government to stop fixating on international assessments and rankings, CHED said that these are important as they make HEIs benchmark with other schools worldwide.

It could also identify areas to improve in teaching, research, public service and the kind of graduates that they need to produce, according to De Vera.

CHED said that WURI is one of the agency’s three recognized ranking systems for HEI internationalization. It is a ranking system of the Organizing Committee of the Hanseatic League of Universities.

It evaluates and ranks top universities with real contributions to society, highlighting creative and innovative approaches to research and educational programs.