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ASEAN universities show commitment to SDGs
The success of ASEAN universities in terms of social and economic impact stems from “ASEAN's increasing focus on the UN Sustainable Development Agenda, including Climate Action, Green and Blue Economy and the policies and initiatives that address the world’s grand challenges”.
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Student volunteers involved in Solidaritas Pangan Jogja (SPJ) Dapur Perumahan Ambarketawang Permai distributed rice packets to pedicab drivers, parking attendants at the Fruit Market, Gamping,Sleman, on March 28, 2020. Economic activity in the market as a result the COVID-19 pandemic severely hit their income. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)
O
verseeing global university rankings for over a decade, I have rarely been as excited by the rapidly-emerging potential of a region as I have about Southeast Asia.
Times Higher Education (THE) is the data and insights partner for universities and governments worldwide and a pioneer of university rankings. And our data is clear: ASEAN universities are emerging powerfully and rapidly as world leaders for the impact they have on society and the economy and for the contribution they make to the global drive to deliver the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
THE introduced its World University Rankings 20 years ago, which focussed on “world-class” research powerhouses like Harvard, Oxford and National University of Singapore.
Five years ago, we pioneered a new way of understanding university excellence –THE’s Impact Rankings, which judges universities, not on traditional, western-dominated metrics such as academic reputation, research (and to be frank, wealth), but on how they make a positive difference to the world. This is assessed through their teaching, research, outreach to governments, businesses and charities, and through the stewardship of their own resources – how they look after their buildings and, more importantly, their people.
The Impact Rankings assess universities against their commitment to delivering each and every one of the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with 17 separate rankings and they also provide a combined overall ranking.
The results for ASEAN nations are very strong. In the current edition of the rankings, ASEAN has some of the highest-ranked universities in the world overall: Universiti Sains Malaysia is 4th in the world; Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University is 16th worldwide; and the University of Indonesia (UI) is 18th. Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta also makes the world’s top 100 overall, in 87th place.
Roger Chao, head of the Education, Youth and Sports Division at the ASEAN Secretariat, and a leading scholar of international higher education, told me that the success of ASEAN universities in terms of social and economic impact stems from “ASEAN's increasing focus on the UN Sustainable Development Agenda, including Climate Action, Green and Blue Economy and the policies and initiatives that address the world’s grand challenges”.
The focus of the ASEAN higher education sector on societal impact and addressing global challenges, said Dr Chao, will help drive the creation of a distinct and attractive ASEAN “higher education space” and “will eventually transform the region's contribution to achieving the sustainable development goals”.
Particularly important SDGs for the ASEAN nations to achieve, said Dr Chao, include reducing poverty (SDG 1), providing good health and well-being (SDG 3), enhancing quality education (SDG 4), offering decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) and taking effective climate action (SDG 13).
In some of these particular SDGs, there are strong signs of success already. In the drive to reduce poverty, for example, Indonesia is leading the way: UI is 5th in the world for its contribution to helping to reduce poverty, followed by UGM in 10th. In 11th place for SDG 1 (no poverty) is Universiti Sains Malaysia. For SDG 3 – good health and wellbeing – Thailand’s Chulalongkorn and Mahidol universities share 16th place in the world, while UI takes 22nd.
In other areas, ASEAN universities have been leading the whole world. For SDG 5 (gender equality), Thailand’s Chiang Mai University is the world’s number one. Malaysia’s Universiti Sains Malaysia is world number one for both SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and (jointly) for SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals).
THE’s Impact Rankings capture and reveal universities’ vital role in helping solve humanity’s most pressing challenges and to make the world a better place. They give that role proper recognition and reward in the public eye.
The rankings also provide a unique, new evidence-based tool to inform policymakers and help ensure universities’ work to change the world for the better is supported by the government.
And they give universities an opportunity to test and challenge themselves – to stand up and be counted for their commitment to sustainability. More importantly, they give universities the data and the tools they need to improve and seek out new collaborations, partners and funders and to attract talent. To do more in the world’s pursuit of the global goals.
On this basis, the future looks extremely promising for ASEAN universities. The number of universities coming forward to open themselves up to the rankings process has risen dramatically worldwide – but ASEAN nations, particularly Indonesia and Thailand, are leading the way.
Participation in the Impact Rankings among ASEAN nations has more than tripled since 2020 – from 48 in 2020 to 164 in the coming edition of the ranking, which comes out on June 1. As a proportion of all ranked universities that’s a 5 percent increase.
For Dr. Chao, the implications are clear: “The increasing regionalization of Southeast Asia and its higher education sector will further propel ASEAN higher education as a region that contributes to societal impact in the region and globally in the coming decade,” he says.
THE will continue to play a role to support that vital mission.
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The writer is chief global affairs officer at Times Higher Education.
