School Ranking: School Bashing
The result of 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings (Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli Symbols)Â has been reported recently on local news programs. It has been accounted that University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University were the only Philippine universities to be included in the Top 500 list. Undeniably, the result of this ranking (and other similar rankings) will conversely reinforce the full blown superiority complex of students and faculty of these institutions. This will be an additional reason for them to maintain their self-righteous delusion that they are far more academically-competent than those who are outside their academic bubble.
Lest, I would sound unreasonably disagreeable and defiant about school rankings because my alma mater, New Era University, has not been hailed as one of the top schools (locally or globally), I am inclined to say that such rankings are utterly aimless and nonsensical in nature. These rankings are winnowed out from surveys and are far from being objective. The quality of education, which these rankings attempt to measure, is immeasurable. This leads people behind these rankings to create self-imposed criteria. These criteria, along with its results, will conversely vary from one study (or survey) to another, from one period of time to another. These variations and other subjective factors are poor determinants of who should the top schools be. This is then the central reason why I describe school rankings to be pointless and aimless. To put it bluntly, these rankings are being disclosed for the sheer glorification of certain institutions.
To a large extent, school rankings could be a potential antecedent for school bashing. Institutions, regardless of their perceived academic superiority, were established to promote learning. If we continue to be fanatics of school rankings, this would just create a broader gap between the so-caled top schools and the lesser-fancied schools. This gap would mean a monopoly of quality education, which should not be the case. I am a firm believer that knowledge is universal. And the so-called quality education largely depends on the learner himself.
I am from New Era University. I am not from any of those top schools, but I have learned what I’m supposed to learn.
It just so happens that those top schools have a hundred or so years head start.
I guess one way to help put our school on top is by starting with ourselves. We have to ensure that we become proud products of out alma mater. We should also learn to give back to our schools for their further development.
I guess you have done that, right?
I definitely agree that those top schools have already created the aura of academic excellence that they possess because those institutions has been part of history. On the same vein, I think more than just being” proud products of our alma mater”, we should take pride of the education we have acquired.
This entry is not to serve as a “promotion” for New Era University. I would just like to assert what those school rankings could potentially imply.
“This will be an additional reason for them to maintain their self-righteous delusion that they are far more academically-competent than those who are outside their academic bubble.”
It’s not an illusion. It is a fact. >:P
it’s no delusion…we ARE more academically competent than those outside our academic bubble
as the saying goes, “here’s the truth about the truth-it hurts, so we lie.”
you should get out of YOUR delusion and accept the cold, hard fact: ADMU and UP are great, NEU is some run-of-the-mill school
Maybe you only encountered the lofty ones that come from these schools. You would be surprised if you met the others (the not so lofty ones, and the humanitarians which are in the same school).
are you ang Iglesia ni Cristo member? Because I am from UP and I am an Iglesia ni Cristo member. You should pray first to God before posting such blogs. Binigyan ka ng Diyos ng sariling talino at sariling kakayahan para umunlad sa buhay. Gamitin mo iyon. Huwag mo ng pakialaman kung sino ang mas magaling o sino ang hindi. Nasa sa iyo kung uunlad ka o hindi, at sa tulong ng Diyos at pananampalataya at pagtitiwala sa kanya, doon ka magtatagumpay.