Botswana universities struggle to break into the list of prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2023 continued as the higher education institutions from the country yet again failed to impress academics across the world.
THE 2023 Impact rankings, now in their fifth edition, assess universities based on their contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on self-submitted data from institutions, the THE Impact rankings examine commitment to sustainability across four main areas: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching.
While there is no university in Botswana which managed to secure a spot in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2023, the biggest consolation is that the University of Botswana (UB) has an operational SDG plan. The University of Cape Town (UCT), dominated the continent. With respect to SDG6: clean water and sanitation, UCT was placed ninth globally. The university also did well in terms of three other UN SDGs.
The number of listed universities in this years THE Impact Rankings is over 1,700, an increase of 181 participating institutions from the previous year. The overall ranking is led by Australias Western Sydney University for the second year in a row. The UKs University of Manchester follows in second place, while Canada-based Queens University takes the third spot, according to a statement released with the rating.
It also adds that: The UK is the most-represented nation in the top 100 with 26 institutions, followed by Australia with 16 and Canada with 15.
The Impact Rankings are quickly expanding each year as more universities strive to demonstrate their commitment to achieving the SDGs. Aside from that, the world rankings released in October 2022 ranked UB in the 1001-1200 band overall, with an International Outlook score of 63.7. International outlook is regarded as a mark of a top institution, relevant both to international and domestic students. It is measured by three indicators: international to domestic student ratio, international to domestic staff ratio, and the proportion of research that involves international collaboration, says the World University Rankings.
Still in world rankings, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) was listed in the Reporter institutions category which means it did not meet eligibility criteria. Universities at the bottom of the table that are listed as having reporter status provided data but did not meet our eligibility criteria to receive a rank, states THE Impact Rankings.
The Times Higher Education rankings provide the definitive list of the worlds best universities, with an emphasis on the research mission. It is the only global university league table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation); citations (research influence); industry income (knowledge transfer) and international outlook (staff, students and research).
By Sunday Standard Reporter
