Amid talks about university rankings by different organizations, an executive of Mapua University perceived that the quality of education can be gauge beyond the numbers.
In a statement on September 19, Lilibeth Sabino, Vice President for Academic Affairs in Mapua, unpacked how important is a university’s ranking in the overall learning of college students.
Sabino highlighted that university rankings matter for multiple reasons.
“What’s in a university ranking? It is clearly an integral matter when it comes to an educational institution’s reputation and for decision-making when confronted with several choices to enroll in,” she said.
“Let us unpack this point first: university ranking matters. It is a crucial way for students to make an informed choice and to compare educational institutions, especially in higher education,” the Mapua vice president said.
While being included in the cream of the crop is “an honor,” Sabino perceived that it is also important for schools to build and develop students’ values and character.
“As a Math specialist, it is quite paradoxical for me to say that there’s more to numbers and rankings. Here is another thing to unpack that goes beyond university rankings: apart from quality knowledge and information, values and character-building lessons imparted to students are equally important,” she said.
This year, Mapua landed beyond the 601st place in Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings, joining other prestigious local universities.
Other schools that made it to the rankings are:
- Ateneo de Manila University (8th spot)
- University of the Philippines (201 to 250th spot)
- De La Salle University (500 to 601st spot)
Jobstreet Philippines also revealed that graduates from Mapua are the fifth most preferred by employers in a survey conducted in May 2023.
The top four universities on its list are:
- Polytechnic University of the Philippines
- University of the Philippines
- De La Salle University
- University of the Philippines
Amid these employer preference, Sabino said that students should also develop “not only critical thinking, adaptability, and creativity but also a deep sense of empathy and compassion.”
“These qualities, along with values like perseverance and maintaining a bright outlook, are essential for navigating life’s challenges and building meaningful connections with others,” she said.
“I believe that considering university rankings and numbers are important but let this be an important reminder that shaping the values and character of a student is also impactful,” the vice president of the academe added.
Sabino started serving in Mapua as a math faculty member.
Prior to her current position, she also served as a chairperson of the Department of Mathematics and a Senior High School Principal.
