In early May, Renmin University of China, a well-known mainland university, announced its withdrawal from the World University Rankings, arousing widespread social discussion.
Putting the issue on Hong Kong, "there are five universities in Hong Kong within 100" is often talked about by the political and business circles, but there are also questions about the international rankings "kidnapping" universities to run schools.
He Shunwen, President of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, had a dialogue with Hong Kong 01. He admitted that many people know that there are too many frauds in the international ranking of universities, "but they are 'dare to be angry and not to speak up'."
One of the drawbacks is that the ranking is actually a "commercial product", and its independence and recognition are questionable.
He Shunwen criticized that these institutions that produce rankings are also engaged in business and scoring, and there will be conflicts of interest. of."
This commercial product reflects traditional economic thinking—encouraging competition to force market players to improve production efficiency and lower product prices.
However, colleges and universities are not pure enterprises, and competition among colleges and universities is not pure market competition.
He Shunwen said that education is imperceptible, and it takes time for its value to appear, but institutions will publish rankings every year for business reasons. , "Education is not a game of football, competition should not be encouraged, but we hope that everyone can make progress, maximize value with less resources, and innovate more."
He Shunwen also pointed out...
For details, please read the 318th issue of "Hong Kong 01" e-Weekly Newsletter (23 May 2022) "
University presidents reflect on university rankings: "It has always been this way, right?"
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He Shunwen, President of Hang Seng University, said at the launching ceremony of the promotion of HSC to "University" that the university will not invest resources in the ranking game in the future.
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He Shunwen criticized that the university rankings were produced by "commercial institutions", whose independence and recognition were questionable.
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