Only 3 Thai varsities in list of top 100 universities

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ANNUAL BRICS
Only 3 Thai varsities in top 100
The Nation

Alarm bells ring as rankings and number of universities in the latest emerging economies list slide from last year

BANGKOK: -- THIS YEAR only three Thai higher-education institutes have made it to the list of top 100 universities in emerging economies, down from five last year.

Those still on the prestigious list are King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Mahidol University (MU) and Chulalongkorn University (CU), who are ranked 49, 63, and 90 respectively. Though these universities are still doing well enough to be ranked in the top 100, their rankings have slipped from 29, 52 and 85 respectively last year.

The Times Higher Education magazine will release its annual BRICS [brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa] and Emerging Economies Rankings 2015 today. The list covers 22 countries, including Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia.

The latest list has seen Chiang Mai University and Prince of Songkla University, which were ranked 82nd and 89th respectively last year, drop out of the top 100.

Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education Rankings, described the latest results as an "alarming sign" for Thailand.

"These important rankings should raise the alarm in Thailand - it has lost two universities from the top-100 list and its three remaining institutions have all slipped down the rankings," he pointed out.

He said strong, globally competitive universities were necessary for Thailand's future economic success.

"It is important [for Thailand] to ensure that its leading institutions are given the funding and freedom that they need to compete globally," Baty said.

Rising China

Several Chinese universities dominated this year's list.

China has dramatically strengthened its position as No 1 in emerging economies, matching its growing economic dominance with |rapidly improving educational institutions that are increasingly able to challenge long-established universities in the West.

Peking University and Tsinghua University hold the top two spots this year, with another 25 Chinese universities holding other rankings in the top-100 list. This number is up from a total of 23 Chinese universities last year.

Only 17 of the 22 emerging economies considered managed to have their universities listed in the rankings. For instance, Indonesia and the Philippines did not make the list this year, while only one Malaysian university made it.

The full list is available on www.thewur.com.

The Times Higher Education BRICS and Emerging Economies Rankings are the latest addition to a portfolio that has established Times Higher Education as the world's most respected provider of comparative university performance data.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Only-3-Thai-varsities-in-top-100-30249094.html


-- The Nation 2014-12-04

[NongKhaiKid]

Oh dear, is this another failure to understand Thainess ?

[whatawonderfulday]

Thailand's yet another new hub "Hub of educational failures"

So Chula has slipped further. Must be that the assessment team visited Starbucks at Siam on a Saturday morning and found all the Chula students copying from one another !!!!

Unfortunate it is just another ranking that Thailand can not "buy"

[Chris Lawrence]

Most (elite) Thais looking for a good education go overseas?

[Bluespunk]

"China has dramatically strengthened its position as No 1 in emerging economies"

If that means China is taking over other emerging economies to feed it's own insatiable appetite for resources I'd agree.

[MrJohnson]

Symptomatic of the parlous state of education in Thailand at every level. The system is badly broken and needs fixing. For a country that spends a sizable proportion of GSP there is very little to show for it. Like many things here it is all about style over substance. Next!

[Prbkk]

"China has dramatically strengthened its position as No 1 in emerging economies"

If that means China is taking over other emerging economies to feed it's own insatiable appetite for resources I'd agree.

China is being very clever in its approach to higher education: very strong investment in R&D, intimate relationships between universities and industry/business, permitted those who choose to do so to study overseas ( who upon graduation either return to China or, more commonly, stay on to establish business/trading links with China).

KMUTT could be a model for other Thai universities. Its graduates can think, manage, create, contribute ...not surprising that its status is confirmed in these rankings

[hanuman2543]

I wonder that they can make it into the first 100 at all.

[noitom]

Thais are surprised at this?

[Bluespunk]

"China has dramatically strengthened its position as No 1 in emerging economies"

If that means China is taking over other emerging economies to feed it's own insatiable appetite for resources I'd agree.

China is being very clever in its approach to higher education: very strong investment in R&D, intimate relationships between universities and industry/business, permitted those who choose to do so to study overseas ( who upon graduation either return to China or, more commonly, stay on to establish business/trading links with China).

KMUTT could be a model for other Thai universities. Its graduates can think, manage, create, contribute ...not surprising that its status is confirmed in these rankings

No argument from me there.

However I don't see China as an emerging economy, seems fairly emerged already. It certainly is mimicking the actions of other rapacious, capitalistic economies.

{And yes I know that from a technical standpoint it probably isn't really established yet}

Edited December 4, 2014 by Bluespunk

[GinBoy2]

How is Taiwan even in the 'emerging' economies, they emerged years ago.

As for Thailand's performance, what can I say? Having graduated, albeit many many decades ago when compared to what I see of Thai graduates, I'd compare their achievements with that of a 'whew, I scraped though it' High School graduate in the US.

No great shocks in this report for anyone I fear

[AGareth2]

Thais are surprised at this?

I doubt they will read it

[NongKhaiKid]

Most (elite) Thais looking for a good education go overseas?

It's also common in job advertisements to see the comment that a degree from a foreign uni is preferred.

[brubakertx]

I'm shocked they even made the top 100!

[SOTIRIOS]

....well.......the 'pretending' has to stop some time......

[glasswort]

As many as three!!!

[ratcatcher]

I hope this is the correct list for comparison.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2015/brics-and-emerging-economies

[DLock]

And only 5 years ago, they had the audacity to say this...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/305510-highhopes-to-be-asias-international-education-hub/

Some people make things happen

Some people watch things happen

Other say "what happened".

Can you guess which one Thailand is?

[empireboy]

Education is precursor to answer so many vital things... almost everything.... Why then is it such a challenge to get governments to invest in it?
Thailand is not alone in this neglect..

[daiwill60]

Education is precursor to answer so many vital things... almost everything.... Why then is it such a challenge to get governments to invest in it?

Thailand is not alone in this neglect..

Educate your people too much and they will cause trouble for power holders , I guess may be one major part of the answer in certain countries.

[outsider]

Why should the alarms be ringing? This should hardly come as a surprise.

Edited December 4, 2014 by outsider

[FangFerang]

Thai educational pedagogues bashing aside, it was not so much that Thailand fell, it was that China rose -- in my opinion. The Chinese have less problems with students 'never' failing, and much more of a problem that students from influential and wealthy families always graduate with very high honors, a bigger problem in China simply because of population size. Add to that the sheer buying power and political clout the Dragon has, and I am not surprised at all at the sudden and miraculous instant accreditation of many Chinese Universities. Yes, I am saying they may have bought their way up the list. Teachers I know who have spoken about experiences teaching at Chinese Universities and schools say that Chinese schools have a common characteristic with all Asian universities. In as far as all universities are both institutions of education and businesses, Asian schools seem to be about 30% education and 70% business. No one who knows what day it is would ever make such an accusation about Cambridge, or the University of Tokyo, or even 'Ecole Normale Supurieure (here I separated the French and British schools so the ghosts of Bonaparte and Wellington don't haunt the TVF servers).

Edited December 4, 2014 by FangFerang

[MrJohnson]

Education is precursor to answer so many vital things... almost everything.... Why then is it such a challenge to get governments to invest in it?

Thailand is not alone in this neglect..l

Unfortunately it is not a matter of lack of investment in education. Thailand consistently allocates 7-8% of GDP (Singapore around 3%). Despite this, Thailand ranks poorly on many independent surveys of universities, graduate competitiveness etc. Education in this country is used very much as an instrument of social control. Students are discouraged from analysis, quality triumphs over quality, teacher development is not seen as a priority, classes are still very teacher-centered and cheating is endemic. There are other issues but suffice to say that education, like the rest of the culture, is not based on meritocracy. So where to start. Change the education system and the dominoes start to tumble.

[jaltsc]

And only 5 years ago, they had the audacity to say this...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/305510-highhopes-to-be-asias-international-education-hub/

Some people make things happen

Some people watch things happen

Other say "what happened".

Can you guess which one Thailand is?

The answer: None of them. When you don't have a clue, you don't realize that something should be happening.

[smotherb]

"China has dramatically strengthened its position as No 1 in emerging economies"

If that means China is taking over other emerging economies to feed it's own insatiable appetite for resources I'd agree.

Gee, like our Western economic giants, or former giants, never did, eh? China is a powerhouse, and I disagree with calling them an emerging economy; at least they are a re-emerging economy after having been the original world hegemon. Criticizing them for their insatiable desire for resources is indeed the pot calling the kettle black. China has managed to become the second greatest economy on earth, and will most likely become number one. Former world hegemons like the UK are what, number 3 in Europe; when Germany, Europe's greatest economic power, is number 4 in the world. Even emerging economies like Brazil are ahead of the UK--looks pretty much like Spain, another former world hegemon's economic tailspin, eh? If things don't change in the US, they will be right behind.

http://www.thenewstrack.com/top-ten-biggest-economies-in-the-world-2014/

[carter1882]

Send your kids to the University of Life. You can study in any country and the skills learnt will be useful anywhere. Courses can be any length but a lifetime is the preferred option.

[CWMcMurray]

China is the 2nd largest economy in the world with GDP. Just about to that if the number 3,4,5 economies all combined

Think it has 'emerged'...

[thailiketoo]

Send your kids to the University of Life. You can study in any country and the skills learnt will be useful anywhere. Courses can be any length but a lifetime is the preferred option.

I sent my daughter to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She graduated with high marks and a very technical degree. Her first job out of college paid more than any job I have ever held.

She speaks 4 languages fluently, travels the world and I keep up with her by reading the NYT. She's where she should be all the time and.......

I agree with you with the caveat send them to a world class university first getting a technical degree as opposed to a mickey mouse diploma in sociology or playground management and then off to the University of Life equipped to study the course.

[Bluespunk]

"China has dramatically strengthened its position as No 1 in emerging economies"

If that means China is taking over other emerging economies to feed it's own insatiable appetite for resources I'd agree.

Gee, like our Western economic giants, or former giants, never did, eh? China is a powerhouse, and I disagree with calling them an emerging economy; at least they are a re-emerging economy after having been the original world hegemon. Criticizing them for their insatiable desire for resources is indeed the pot calling the kettle black. China has managed to become the second greatest economy on earth, and will most likely become number one. Former world hegemons like the UK are what, number 3 in Europe; when Germany, Europe's greatest economic power, is number 4 in the world. Even emerging economies like Brazil are ahead of the UK--looks pretty much like Spain, another former world hegemon's economic tailspin, eh? If things don't change in the US, they will be right behind.

http://www.thenewstrack.com/top-ten-biggest-economies-in-the-world-2014/

Read post 11, if you want to know what I think about china's economy and the actions of the west in the past.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Bluespunk

[gemini81]

Actually I'm surprised ANY are on the list to be honest. If Mahidol, once could note after studies, loads of them go on to work abroad. Chula, haha what a joke.