By Arturo Belano

DESPITE its big drop in ranking, Ateneo de Manila University remained the top education institution in the country for 2024 based on the latest Times Higher Education World University Ranking.

Landing on the 1001-1200 bracket, Ateneo had an overall score of 28.3-32.6 based on five pillars —teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook.

The university dropped from its previous ranking of 351-400.

The University of the Philippines and the De La Salle University also fell to the 1201-1500 and 1501+ brackets, respectively.

UP was in the 801-1000 spot in 2023, while DLSU was ranked 1201-1500.

Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas was in 1501+ bracket, an improvement from last year’s “reporter status.”

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 include 1,904 universities across 108 countries and regions, making it the largest and most diverse university rankings to date.

The assessment is based on new WUR 3.0 methodology, which includes 18 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance in five areas — teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.

This year’s ranking analysed more than 134 million citations across 16.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 68,402 scholars globally. Overall, THE collected 411,789 datapoints from more than 2,673 institutions that submitted data.

Meanwhile, Cebu Technological University, Central Luzon State University, University of Eastern Philippines, Mapua University, Mariano Marcos State University, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Nueva Ecijia University of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Tarlac Agricultural University, and Visayas State University submitted data for inclusion in the rankings but did not make the cut.

By Patricia Lanzagarita

THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines Broadcasting Association said that GMA Network’s decision to use AI-generated sportscasters sets an alarming precedent that could impact broadcasting and urged the company to address first the problems faced by media workers.

The group made the statement after GMA’s Senior Vice President and Head of Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor Amoroso said that the initiative is aligned with their mission to serve all the communities and to promote inclusivity in reporting.

UPBA said that even if these advancements are inevitable, this should not cause the displacement and replacement of the people who studied the industry and practice of broadcasting.

“The UP Broadcasting Association firmly believes that this move does very little to serve the people as it only sets an alarming precedent that would profoundly impact the future of broadcasting and those who aspire to be in this industry,” the group said in a statement.

It also prodded the network to address common issues faced by media workers.

“Before we welcome innovation and technological advancements, we must first address the realities faced by media workers – contractualization, unfair labor practices, low compensation and lack of benefits,” it said.

“Thus, in the pursuit of advancement and excellence, the true essence of serving the people should not be left behind,” it added.