For many years, the importance of university rankings like the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings has been debated by academics, policymakers and non-academics.

Some, including the authors of the book “Ivory Tower Reform: A Vision of Higher Education in Malaysia”, argue that university rankings are not important, or even part of the commercialisation of the academic world, and that they provide unnecessary pressure on academics.

I tend to disagree with those authors. I am writing from the perspective of a university administrator whose university is keen to contribute to national development, especially in advancing research in frontier technologies such as AI, Quantum Computing, the Digital Economy, and clean and green energy.

To become a developed, high-income nation, Malaysia must pursue research and development in these frontier technologies.

It is no secret that high-income countries have been spending a large share of their national GDP on research and development.

As a developing country, Malaysia must take several actions, including increasing private-sector funding and expanding collaborations with universities and research institutes from advanced nations.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is keen to support Malaysia’s ambition to become a high-income, developed nation, as envisaged in the Pelan Ekonomi Madani.

To achieve this objective, UKM is actively pursuing collaborations with top universities and research institutions, funding organisations, and companies from around the world.

University rankings are one of those questions that UKM teams must answer. Rankings have become a de facto indicator in collaboration and funding decision-making.

Whether one agrees or not, rankings have become a de facto measure of quality.

Thanks to the successive UKM management, UKM is now ranked 126 in the QS World University Rankings.

During our recent visit to one of the top 10 universities, one of the first questions asked was about UKM’s ranking.

We were made to understand that many of these institutions and corporations are only keen to work with the top 200 universities.

We are proud that through the hard work of our academics and staff, UKM has managed to foster collaborations and secure funding from several international and national funding organisations to support our research and development of frontier technologies.

Through our global and national standing, UKM has appointed experts from organisations such as Blackberry, Micron, Sony, a venture capital firm, and an international development bank to our International Advisory Board.

UKM is also actively pursuing the establishment of a global campus in Doha, Qatar. If not for our position among the top 200 universities in the world, UKM would not be able to secure the abovementioned support, collaborations, and funding as easily.

As Malaysia and the world move towards the advancement of frontier technologies, the world has shifted from measuring tangible assets to measuring the contributions of knowledge and other intangible assets, such as intellectual property and high-impact publications.

Hence, ranking plays a vital role in measuring and positioning a country or university in terms of technological advancement.

This is part of the globalisation of the economy, higher education, and advancement of knowledge. International rankings are not just for universities but also for countries.

Malaysia participates in several international rankings, such as the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking and the Global Innovation Index by WIPO.

However, ranking is not everything. UKM is fully aware of our duty to the nation and to disseminate knowledge to the public.

UKM encourages its academic staff to share knowledge through books, publications in Bahasa Melayu, and contributions to society. Academic staff performance is measured by various indicators, not just their publications in top-ranking journals.

UKM appreciates the diversity of academic staff and their contributions to the university and the nation.

In conclusion, university rankings are not the sole indicators of quality and contributions to the nation.

Nevertheless, university rankings play an essential role in positioning a university against its international peers, influencing its ability to attract high-quality academic, industry, and funding partners.

-- BERNAMA

Prof Dr Sufian Jusoh is Vice-Chancellor, University Kebangsaan Malaysia.