The Times Higher Education (THE) Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings has ranked the University of Johannesburg as the top institution with the best teaching, and research for social impact programmes in the Sub-Saharan region.
The Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings measures the performance of universities based on teaching, research and social impact.
The criteria has 20 metrics, which are grouped into five pillars being resources and finance; access and fairness; student engagement; ethical leadership; and Africa impact.
With the second instalment of the rankings, a total of 171 universities participated this year compared to the 121 who took part in last year’s maiden data collection.
Of the 171 universities that participated this year, 129 from 22 countries were assessed for their impact in addressing some of the toughest challenges in the region.
Of the universities from 22 countries assessed, South Africa notched four of the top 10 spots, including the top three.
Surprisingly, the University of the Witwatersrand found itself in the third spot, with University of Pretoria in second place. The University of KwaZulu-Natal earned the 10th spot.
The report indicated that UJ soared to first place due to its inclusiveness of all students, despite their distinguished backgrounds. Certain backgrounds hinder many from completing their qualifications.
“UJ was particularly recognised for its high performance in the access and fairness as well as the resources and finance pillars.
“The access and fairness pillar rewards universities that account for the openness of institutions to students of all backgrounds, and how institutions ensure that all can succeed, while the resources and finance pillar rewards financially stable institutions that provide a high-quality learning experience.
“Notably, one of the evidence-based metrics looks at accessibility (disability access and disability support),” said the report.
UJ Vice-Chancellor and principal, Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, highlighted that the institution’s world-class programmes earned it the first spot.
“The latest rankings reaffirm the excellence of our academic programmes, especially considering the fact that the pool of competing universities in this ranking system has increased.
It is particularly gratifying to see UJ being recognised highly, not only for its outstanding teaching and research programmes but for its accessibility and excellence,” said Mpedi.
Mpedi said that the ranking results were a testament to UJ’s outstanding staff, post-doctoral fellows, students and research divisions.
“All this demonstrates our commitment to education and innovation for societal impact,” said Mpedi.
The Star