‘It’s become a game’: Academics call global university rankings profit-driven, urge Malaysian institutions to rethink priorities

PETALING JAYA, Dec 21 — Several academics have reportedly criticised global university rankings as a profit-driven exercise and called for alternative ways to evaluate universities.

Independent academic Sharifah Munirah Alatas said ranking bodies such as QS, Times Higher Education and the Academic Ranking of World Universities were businesses that benefit from participating institutions, according to a report in Free Malaysia Today.

“Many universities in the West have separated themselves from the ranking (exercises). Yet we don’t emulate them,” she was quoted as saying at a panel session last week.

She reportedly said Malaysian universities often joined rankings without questioning how they influenced teaching, reading materials and grading systems.

Another panellist, academic Sarah Wijesinghe, reportedly said rankings had become a game, citing an unnamed university that had allegedly set up a dedicated team and a large budget to figure out ranking criteria.

International Islamic University of Malaysia lecturer Adli Musa reportedly said academic publishing had also become profit-driven.

He said major publishers charge fees of up to RM1,000 to publish papers while the academics that review the papers are not paid.

The academics were speaking during a panel session at the launch of “Ivory Tower Reform: A Vision for Higher Education in Malaysia”, a book co-edited by Munirah, Adli, and Ngo Sheau Shi.