Ranking universities by comprehensive and internationally accepted organisations serve the purpose of academic improvement, institutional accountability, and students' enhanced experiences. For the last few years, global university rankings, especially the ones conducted by Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), have positively impacted the academic sphere in Bangladesh. Not that ranking as a system has been introduced within these few years only – both THE and QS have been publishing ranks of global universities for decades now.

THE and QS both have many different ranking categories, and they publish the results of these categories throughout the year. THE will publish this year's Asia University Rankings at the end of June, and its World University Rankings in September. On the other hand, QS will publish its World University Rankings at the end of June, but the Asia University Rankings in November. Some ranking categories include world university ranking, regional ranking, employability ranking, subject ranking, sustainability ranking, impact ranking, etc.

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Do university rankings reflect reality?

What makes following these rankings more difficult is that not all the participating Bangladeshi universities compete for all the categories. But two categories are highly prestigious for any university in Bangladesh or worldwide: World University and Regional (Asia) rankings. To be eligible for inclusion in THE ranking, a university must have over 1,000 publications in impactful journals over the previous five years. However, these two categories assess a university based on its overall performance, including the faculty-student ratio, the balance between male and female faculty members as well as students, the number of international staff and students, the number of published research articles in recognised journals, etc.

The performances of one university may be compared against hundreds of other universities, and thus measured. Such measurement will consistently push that one university to do better. Participating in the accepted ranking platforms will help us move towards academic symmetry, where students of different institutions will have minimised gaps among themselves, and faculty members from different universities will collaborate and publish innovative research articles, among other things.

In other words, the overall ranking processes of both THE and QS are inclusive and rigorous. Placement in such prestigious categories is testament to the fact that students are developing fundamental problem-solving skills, and that faculty members are research-active and not only teaching. What is more interesting is that these ranking platforms keep introducing new parameters to assess university performances. For example, THE recently introduced the "interdisciplinary research" criterion and wants to determine a university's commitment to research that incorporates knowledge, technique, and theories of multiple disciplines. The strength of different disciplines is often stronger than a single one. The criteria for assessment keep evolving, challenging the universities to meet the demand of time, thus enhancing all experiences.

The classroom experiences of students and faculty members may improve once these rankings start to make an impact. A classroom attended by students from different corners of the country as well as the world offers a far better experience than a less diversified classroom. Also, imagine a gender-balanced classroom. In such a classroom, the mutual growth of everyone is of significant value. People from diverse backgrounds mutually strengthen everyone's confidence, qualities, and knowledge. The impact of rankings, consequently, attracts students from these diverse corners.

The rankings are also significant in minimising the gulf of difference that exists at present among students and faculty members of different higher educational institutions across Bangladesh. From communication to analytical skills, there are many rooms for improvement. Also, while there is often debate over the accuracy of some rankings, it cannot be denied that they do have an effect and inspire universities to do better regularly. A university with self-approbation for its performances is no longer the trend. The performances of one university may be compared against hundreds of other universities, and thus measured. Such measurement will consistently push that one university to do better. Participating in the accepted ranking platforms will help us move towards academic symmetry, where students of different institutions will have minimised gaps among themselves, and faculty members from different universities will collaborate and publish innovative research articles, among other things. These rankings also help graduates with getting better jobs.

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Do we need branches of foreign universities?

In his article "University ranking announcement and the morning after" published in October 2022, Professor Shamsad Mortuza rightfully observes the regulations that handicap the growth of private universities. With the cooperation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in awarding research and travel grants to private university teachers, as well as allowing PhD programmes to be offered by deserving private universities, these institutions may contribute enormously to the world of research and bring even greater academic recognition to the country, next to their public university counterparts. After all, as Professor Mortuza concludes in his article, all of them, of both private and public universities, are citizens of this country and deserve fair and equal treatment.

According to NSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Atiqul Islam, no one wants to be ranked last – everyone wants to reach the top, and reaching the top is a long way to go that requires sincere efforts. These efforts will make the academic environment at our universities healthy. With the participation of more and more Bangladeshi universities in the rankings, he believes the country will be able to showcase that it is not falling behind its comparable neighbouring countries. For the benefits to come, our universities must keep trying to excel in the ranking categories.

M Shakhaowat Hossain is director-in-charge of the Institutional Ranking Cell and senior lecturer of English literature at North South University (NSU).