MANILA — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced on Friday that 56 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines have been included in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (THE-IR), highlighting their commitment to advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs).
According to Philippines News Agency, this inclusion is a testament to the Philippine universities' real-world impact and their integration of the United Nations’ SDGs into their academic programs. These goals focus on critical global challenges such as poverty, hunger, health, and climate action. "We are witnessing a paradigm shift where universities are actively integrating social development goals into their core mission," De Vera commented. The participating HEIs have shown exceptional performance in various SDGs, including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, and Clean Water and Sanitation, among others.
This year's representation marks a significant increase, with a 93-percent rise from last year's 29 HEIs. The growth in participation over the years is notable, with only five HEIs listed in 2022, four in 2021 and 2020, and one in 2019. Among the globally ranked institutions from the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University achieved the highest placement, landing in the 201-300 bracket globally. The rankings consider various factors, including how universities' research, outreach, and stewardship programs help achieve the SDGs.
The Philippines is now among the top 10 countries globally in terms of the number of participating institutions in the THE-IR, a reflection of the country's growing focus on higher education's role in addressing global issues. Besides SDG-based metrics, the rankings also evaluated participating universities on aspects such as academic programs, research quality, and faculty development. Prior to this, CHED also celebrated 65 Philippine HEIs recognized among the top 300 most innovative universities worldwide, according to the World University Rankings for Innovation 2024.