MUK slips further in world rankings
Aug 07, 2008
MAKERERE University has dropped further in the latest ranking of Africa’s top universities.
By Fortunate Ahimbisibwe
MAKERERE University has dropped further in the latest ranking of Africa’s top universities.
The July 2008 ranking, published by the Ranking Web of the World Universities, Webometrics, shows that Makerere dropped to the 59th position from January when it was number 47.
Academics at the institution attribute the fall to congestion and failure to embrace Information Communication Technology (ICT) in research.
This is a big setback for Makerere, given its improvement in 2007, from the 54th position to 47th.
When the rankings were first published in 2004, Makerere was at the 18th position. It slipped to 23rd in 2005 and 24th in 2006.
“Web presence measures the activity and visibility of the institutions and it is a good indicator of impact and prestige of universities,†said a statement on the website.
“Rank summarises the global performance of the university, provides information for candidate students and scholars and reflects the commitment to the dissemination of scientific knowledge.â€
Although Makerere has dropped in ranking, it is still the only Ugandan university on the list.
Worldwide, Makerere takes the 7,226th position out of the 16,000 universities assessed.
Last year, Uganda Christian University was ranked 97th but was not considered this year.
The dean of faculty of computing and information technology, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, yesterday said there was need to embrace ICT.
“This ranking mainly considers research that is online. Makerere needs to improve this area because ICT has become a major component in research,†he stated.
He also said congestion in lecture rooms, laboratories and libraries was affecting standards.
But Dr. Paddy Musana, the the academic staff association vice-chairman, said there was also a problem of management. “Makerere’s ranking will not improve unless that problem is resolved. The University Council must adopt proper management.â€
The researchers advised poorly-performing universities to reconsider their web policy and promote substantial increases of the volume and quality of their electronic publications.
MAKERERE University has dropped further in the latest ranking of Africa’s top universities.
The July 2008 ranking, published by the Ranking Web of the World Universities, Webometrics, shows that Makerere dropped to the 59th position from January when it was number 47.
Academics at the institution attribute the fall to congestion and failure to embrace Information Communication Technology (ICT) in research.
This is a big setback for Makerere, given its improvement in 2007, from the 54th position to 47th.
When the rankings were first published in 2004, Makerere was at the 18th position. It slipped to 23rd in 2005 and 24th in 2006.
“Web presence measures the activity and visibility of the institutions and it is a good indicator of impact and prestige of universities,†said a statement on the website.
“Rank summarises the global performance of the university, provides information for candidate students and scholars and reflects the commitment to the dissemination of scientific knowledge.â€
Although Makerere has dropped in ranking, it is still the only Ugandan university on the list.
Worldwide, Makerere takes the 7,226th position out of the 16,000 universities assessed.
Last year, Uganda Christian University was ranked 97th but was not considered this year.
The dean of faculty of computing and information technology, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, yesterday said there was need to embrace ICT.
“This ranking mainly considers research that is online. Makerere needs to improve this area because ICT has become a major component in research,†he stated.
He also said congestion in lecture rooms, laboratories and libraries was affecting standards.
But Dr. Paddy Musana, the the academic staff association vice-chairman, said there was also a problem of management. “Makerere’s ranking will not improve unless that problem is resolved. The University Council must adopt proper management.â€
The researchers advised poorly-performing universities to reconsider their web policy and promote substantial increases of the volume and quality of their electronic publications.