Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen also do well in
inaugural rankings
Mahidol, Chulalong-korn and Chiang Mai were ranked as the top
national universities for teaching and research, the Higher
Edu-cation Commission announced yesterday.
The commission conducted rankings of the top 50 universities for
the first time, and while some rectors disagreed with the criteria,
it announced the results by dividing the universities into five
levels.
The first group of teaching universities, that scored 75 or more
marks from a possible 80, were Mahidol, Chulalongkorn, Chiang Mai
and Khon Kaen.
The second group, with 70-74 marks, included Kasetsart,
Suranaree, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thon Buri and
Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep.
Those in the last group, with fewer than 60 marks, were mostly
provincial Rajabhat universities.
The criteria used to rank the universities with excellent
teaching were student ratios, faculty resources, financial
resources, "internationality" and quality of education.
Universities ranked best for research work included Mahidol,
Chulalongkorn, Chiang Mai, King Mongkut's and Suranaree.
The second group included Kasetsart, Khon Kaen, Naresuan and the
National Institute of Development Administration.
Those in the last group were campuses of Rajamangala and Rajabhat
universities.
The commission also ranked the top 50 faculties, divided into
seven fields: science, technology, biomedical sciences, humanities
and arts, social science, agriculture and education.
Mahidol's Faculty of Science ranked first in the science field
and its Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital topped the
biomedical sciences sector. Chulalongkorn's Faculty of Engineering
was ranked first for technology.
For the first year of rankings, only 51 out of Thailand's 138
universities sent information for the commission to consider.
Thammasat sent information but was not in the list because the
rector did not want it to be graded, said Pavich Tongroach, the
commission's secretary-general.
Asked about some universities vowing to reject the rankings,
Pavich said: "No problem. I can say the results are reliable. Even
if we didn't do the rankings, other countries have always ranked for
us. Isn't it better that we conduct the rankings ourselves?"
Pavich said the ranking would reveal information about
universities to the public. It would also help high-school students
choose a university.
Professor Pornchai Matangkasombat, president of Mahidol
University, said he had been confident for a long time that it was
the top national university.
"The ranking is not for competition but aimed at the improvement
of all the universities in Thailand," he said.
Prof Dr Virun Tungcharoen, rector of Srinakharinwirot University,
which was in the fourth group for teaching standards, said he found
it hard to believe all the results.
"If the information considered by those who conducted the
rankings is accurate, the university shouldn't be in this group," he
said.