UB fails to make Top 10 in regional rankings
Baboki Kayawe | Thursday April 30, 2015 16:55
This was as attested to by the latest African Universities and Higher Institutions ranking. The ranking by Journals Consortium, do not feature any local institution in the top 30 leaving a lot to be desired on the already contested standard of higher education.
Journals Consortium, is a research based organisation whose mission is to evaluate universities (and other higher institutions), research journals based on their publications and citation, as well as to bring research articles to everyone’s reach.
The index indicates that public tertiary institutions are outdoing their private tertiary counterparts. According to the 2015 rankings, Journals Consortium places the University of Botswana (UB) in the 37th place continentally. The country’s traditional university missed three steps to feature in the Top 10 regionally.
Locally, UB sits at the top followed by Botswana College of Agriculture; whose continental rank is on the 231 place. In the third place is the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, positioned at position 629 in Africa. The former according to Journals Consortium garnered a research publications and citations score of 26.14, whereas its web presence stands at 2.59. UB’s total influence factor is 28.72, according to the index.
“The Research Publication and Citation score is directly proportional to the number of publications and citations of a university or higher institution for the previous 5 years. Journals Consortium utilises the publications and citations scores available on Google Scholar. The Internet or Web Presence (IWP) is also directly proportional to the number of times the university or higher institution appears on the Internet,” explains Journals Consortium.
“The Total Influence Factor (TIF) is the sum of Research Publication and Citation score plus the Internet/Web Presence score”
Botho University leads the private tertiary education providers’ front, with a country ranking of 4th position, while placed at 667 across Africa. It has a Research Publications and Citations score of 0.40, and web presence of 1.93 while its total influence factor is 2.32.
Botswana Accountancy College sits at 689 as per continental rankings, and in the fifth place on the country rank. Ba Isago ranks 967 in Africa, and 6th in the country, while Botswana University College Law School is at 1259 continentally, and placed at 7th place locally.
Once more, the University of Cape Town tops both continentally and in the region, with a research score of 40.89. Meanwhile, South Sudan’s Bentiu Heritage and Memorial University is at the tail of the ranking with a total influence factor of naught. This ranking is based on research publications and citations from the last five years (2010 to 2014) as well as visibility on the Internet, according to Journals Consortium.