There can be no doubt that a primary purpose of higher education in our society is to equip learners to engage critical thinking and develop practical skills. Both tasks must enhance quality leadership that enables effective problem-solving in society. To solve complex societal problems, higher education must take account of social responsiveness. That means, ensuring that our universities address major social challenges.
It means they must engage meaningfully with communities. The task of social responsiveness also involves sensible allocation of university resources to research:
- research that is policy-centred;
- research that is accessible;
- research that is accurate and can be implemented
Put another way, we cannot evolve or contemplate a relevant university ranking system unless it is aligned to the capacity building role of higher education in our region and elsewhere.
Whether or not university rankings matter, we should be sceptical of those benchmarks that do not take into account the risks or threats of ‘brain drain.’ The performance and contributions and ranking of, for example, The University of the West Indies, could be grossly under-rated unless account is taken of persistent leakage of its highly trained graduates. This migration of trained capacity is not merely a UWI problem. It is a regional problem; a problem of developing countries. So we must take the surrounding situation into account when we rank universities.
But university ranking must relate to broader issues of problem solving. In practical terms, our universities would be ranked by their capacity to address core problems in our time. Their focus on high quality teaching and research must lead to critical thinking, innovation and strategies that bring solutions to societal problems.
In short, external ranking systems should not dictate our university policy. Caribbean and other new universities should be ranked by
- the quality of the guidance they provide to address their own needs;
- the needs of our communities;
- the needs of our market niches
- and the overall guidance to the policy needs of the local society.
May I also suggest that one of our most urgent university and societal needs relates to securing better quality among the growing quantity of universities, particularly in our region.
Equally, there is need to enable better pooling of private-public skills and resources in the education sector. Likewise, we think that credible quality assurance mechanisms would push us towards post-modern university status.
At the societal level, the immediate challenges to be confronted include
- financing of tertiary education,
- addressing glaring issues of climate change
- Examining the training needs for non-traditional industries, including the cultural and creative sectors which can yield great economic and developmental benefits
- as well as promoting better regulating inter-university relations and networks.
Yet, we must act together to solve such problems. To be sure, Jamaica and other Caricom states are anxious for meaningful responses. Here, at least, my Government has taken some steps to build certain responsive institutions.
- We have established a Ministry of Climate Change to anticipate and deal with the changing and unpredictable weather patterns.
- A Tertiary Education Commission is being established with the mandate to raise standards in the tertiary sector.
- A Cultural and Creative Industries Commission will be formed to examine, among other things, the training needs to facilitate development of those industries.
- Steps have also been taken to strengthen the regulatory mechanisms by which universities operate in society.
Partly these steps are intended to correct imbalances in the competition within the higher education sector. Jamaica’s general education policy addresses issues and standards such as quality and equity, networks and partnerships of creative cooperation across the system. I urge you to understand that this is not a self-serving account. Rather, it represents a call for help from our universities; a call for stronger public-private partnerships that recognize and solve societal problems.
It is when our universities become involved in such partnerships that they should be highly ranked and be deemed as becoming world-class. Yet, that is not enough. Our universities must continue to discharge their traditional functions – of excellence in teaching and research – while responding to the developmental needs and circumstances of context. Our universities must also be student-centred and focus heavily on student engagement.
 Firstly, we celebrate the Association of Commonwealth Universities for its vision and the bright standards of its performance over many years.
In particular, we recognize the ACU for its focus on themes that assist universities in its jurisdictions to achieve world-class standing. That contribution now has worldwide resonance. Further, we are grateful to all involved for bringing this important conference to Jamaica.
We welcome any occasion that holds prospects for promoting the Jamaican brand.
Secondly, the idea of assessing and ranking and benchmarking universities is appealing. The real meaning and efficacy of that process would rest in the ability to bring needed transformation to societies through higher education. In other words, for us, the ranking standards must be indexed against the needs, circumstances and conditions of particular contexts.
We understand that programmes of university ranking are one way of animating the academy towards remaining relevant. To be relevant, Government, the private and not-for-profit sectors, and all stakeholders must enable our universities to focus on creating knowledge, promoting engaged leadership and citizenship, as well as building real capacities for problem solving. The fact is any country, if it is to become and remain strong, must have a strong university base.
There is another message for regional universities and governments here.
The world-class vision of our universities may not be immediately possible within existing institutional silos. Operating within the existing framework may appear inefficient, wasteful and costly. It evidently weakens our universities’ capacity to compete. Did I hear a prominent voice in the local tertiary sector advocating for ‘a single regional university system’?
My own view is that there is a case for optimism. It is something to think about. Let the debate begin.
This is an excerpt from an address by Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller, to the Conference of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, themed ‘University Rankings and Benchmarking: Do They Matter?’ held at the Mona Campus, UWI in November. |
