Higher education must rise to challenge of reform [IrishTimes]
- Published: 07 October 2011
OPINION: Rankings serve as a wake-up call for higher education
DISAPPOINTING RESULTS in yesterday’s Times Higher Education ( THE) global university rankings, and concern from some employers about the quality of graduates and from higher education institutions at the quality of entrants from school beg a big question: is higher education fit for purpose? There is no doubting the scale of the challenge that is faced.
To the positives first. Our higher education system continues to have high standing nationally and internationally. The THE rankings show we perform well when the universities’ performance relative to our gross domestic product is measured. We come sixth, ahead of Australia, the US, Germany and even Finland (often cited for its excellent education system). This means we get a good return on our investment in higher education.
Other positives include the fact that participation, progression and completion rates compare favourably with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. A November 2009 report from EU finance ministers ranked Ireland first in Europe in terms of graduates per 1,000 habitants and first in terms of how employers rank our graduates. Ireland is among the countries where universities are regarded by international peers as being “excellent” and recruiters regard them “as providing highly employable graduates”.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
