Global university rankings are increasingly seen as problematic. The for-profit parent companies that issue these rankings use criteria heavily reliant on 'reputation scores'—a vague, subjective metric that measures perception rather than actual quality. This beauty pageant-like approach penalizes outstanding but lesser-known institutions.
Flawed Metrics in Rankings
Another major factor is citations per faculty. Institutions with larger social science or humanities departments inevitably score lower than those with bigger science and engineering departments. Factors like 'international faculty ratio' always penalize institutions in countries where fewer non-citizens work. Higher education scholars worldwide have expressed concerns that universities end up chasing metrics instead of pursuing real improvement, and that rankings become the goal itself. A growing number of institutions are boycotting rankings altogether.
What Rankings Ignore
Teaching quality, student learning, mentorship, intellectual engagement, ability to formulate a problem, meaningful debates, understanding of complex topics, critical thinking, and writing skills are not included in the metrics. A university that helps students from difficult socio-economic backgrounds, provides counselling, fosters learning, and cultivates moral and ethical citizens will not appear on the chart. This raises fundamental questions: what is a good university, and what is a university for?
Challenges Facing Pakistani Universities
Pakistani universities face serious challenges. Public sector investment is on a downward spiral. University infrastructure is in disrepair. Plagiarism and routine violations of the code of ethics are serious concerns. Quality of instruction varies widely and is often unsatisfactory. Labs and libraries fail to inspire. Top leadership positions at most public sector universities often go to those with the strongest political connections. A heavy-handed approach to curriculum results in a lack of imagination, critical thinking, and serious intellectual engagement. The list of topics that can be openly discussed on campus continues to shrink.
The Futility of Chasing Rankings
What is needed is not chasing questionable metrics from a for-profit outside agency that has never visited campuses or appreciated challenges. There is nothing to celebrate if a ranking changes by a dozen places in the 400-range. The reason universities are struggling is not because of fewer citations per faculty or limited international engagement. Even if the system were gamed and citations improved, the most fundamental problems would remain intact. The stubborn problems of higher education are deeply rooted because we fail to recognize the value of a university in society and what it is supposed to do for students, staff, teachers, and the community at large.
