5 Bangladeshi universities in Impact Rankings 2020

A total of 5 universities of Bangladesh have secured positions in the second edition of Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2020. 

The second edition of the ranking, that included 850 universities from 89 countries, was published on April 22.

BRAC University and Daffodil International University achieved positions between 301 and 400.

United International University and World University of Bangladesh are ranked between 401 and 600.

Independent University, Bangladesh got the position above 601 plus.

Meanwhile, Dhaka University did not participate in the ranking.

"We did not participate there. That's why DU not on the list," Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Dr Akhtaruzzaman told The Business Standard adding that the ranking authorities requested them to submit for the SDGs impact competition. 

Mentioning that the Bangladeshi universities are not giving concentration on doing research, former Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Professor AK Azad Chowdhury said, "It's the reason behind Bangladeshi universities not securing the top positions."

"University of Oxford is doing research to invent the vaccine of coronavirus. What our universities including Dhaka University are doing?" he asked.

The list is led by New Zealand's University of Auckland like the last year. Three Australian universities - University of Sydney, Western Sydney University and La Trobe University - complete the rest of the top four.

Japan is the most-represented nation in the table with 63 institutions, followed by Russia with 47 and Turkey with 37.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They use carefully calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three broad areas: research, outreach and stewardship.