Makerere university is set to take a stand on global rankings involving both the School of Law and School of Medicine.
This was disclosed by the Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe as he reacted to Harvard Medical School’s exit from university rankings.
The Wall Street Journal confirmed that Harvard Medical School will no longer submit information to the U.S. News & World Report’s medical-school ranking.
According to the school’s dean, the move was inspired by the recent withdrawal of top law schools.
Prof Nawangwe responded to this report stating that Makerere would soon review its participation in similar rankings.
“As top Law Schools and Medical Schools withdraw from various university rankings citing credibility, we are going to review our participation in each of these rankings. We will subsequently decide on whether to continue participating in some or not at all,” Prof Nawangwe commented.
Makerere University’s stature is a reputable one thus it is no surprise that the institution is considering to emulate the world’s top seeds.
Just like Dr. George Q. Daley, dean of the faculty of medicine at Harvard, said that he has a philosophical concern with rankings, Prof Nawangwe seems to agree with him.
The Dean’s argument was that rankings cannot meaningfully reflect the high aspirations for educational excellence, graduate preparedness, and compassionate and equitable patient care that we strive to foster in our medical education program.
Several law-school deans told The Journal they had wanted to walk away from the ranking for years, but were afraid to be the first and risk losing ground to competitors who continued to participate.
Makerere University’s schools have always fared well in global rankings, often occupying the top position in sub Saharan Africa.
It isn’t yet clear whether other institutions in Uganda will follow Makerere’s lead if it opts for the withdrawal.
