TUP’s dismal ranking

I am an alumnus of the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) Manila. Its dismal ranking keeps on haunting me. How come this prestigious university is not even included in the top 100 best universities of the Philippines? It is an honor to be part of this prestigious university where I became who I am now. TUP has been the bastion of engineers and technicians who are working in various industries and companies.

The recent electronics engineers board exams where one of the TUP students bagged the top 3 in the board examination and the national passing rate is beyond the standard passing rate. The university has been consistent in producing engineers who usually top the standard board exams in engineering fields such as electrical, mechanical, civil, electronics, and architecture.

But the recent result of the EduRank never mentioned TUP Manila in their 100 best universities in the Philippine ranking; even in the Quacquarelli Symonds Ranking, TUP was not even mentioned.

What is the problem then? Every year, the government keeps on reducing the budget of the university. The university has to rely on income-generating projects to augment the funding.

While other universities are steadily on top, TUP is deep diving at the bottom. EduRank was based on three categories: research outputs, nonacademic prominence, and alumni influence. For a university that needs to have better performance, it needs multiple citations created by faculty through research and innovation. For university research to thrive, it needs to overhaul the salary/incentive program given to the faculties. The abundance of researchers relies on the salary/incentive given to the faculty, innovators, and inventors.

Overhauling the outdated curriculum is also pivotal to the university’s performance. Review of subjects and courses should highlight the demand of the modern environment while acknowledging the importance of basic subjects such as science and mathematics. Innovation in teaching methods capitalizing on the internet and information technology should be incorporated into the method of teaching.

We challenge the current administration to respond swiftly to the dismal ranking of TUP as we claim to be the center of excellence in engineering and a prestigious university in technology and innovation. Please bring back the prestige!

BAYANI B. BANZUELA
[email protected]