As it leaps to rank 201-300 in Quality Education
TAU retains overall spot (601-800) in THE Impact Rankings, up by 11.4 points
Text by Mr. Jerome L. Duque
Poster by Mr. John Paul Q. Gordovin
The Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) has ranked in all 17 indicators of this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings enabling it to maintain its 601-800th place among 1,406 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the world.
The state university located in Camiling, Tarlac earned 59.5 points and performed best in SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals).
Garnering 62.4 points in Quality Education, TAU landed in the 201-300 range, besting its 2021 standing. Another noteworthy achievement is its Zero Hunger performance as it debuted to rank 201-300. In both indices, TAU was grouped in the topmost quartile.
Under Gender Equality, the university obtained 52.1 points, a slight boost when compared to the previous year’s rating. For its research undertakings in SDG 17, TAU garnered 50.2 points, a 784-fold increase from its 2021’s record of only 6.4 points.
TAU President, Dr. Max P. Guillermo, congratulated the whole TAU community for this feat. “I know how much effort and hard work everyone exerted on this. This recognition validates the resources and time we invested to realize our vision of becoming one of the world’s most sustainable universities,” Dr. Guillermo furthered.
Meanwhile, Dr. Christine N. Ferrer, Director of External Linkages and International Affairs (ELIA), emphasizes that this accomplishment is a collective effort of the whole TAU community and its external stakeholders.. “We will review our performance data so we can strategize for next year’s ranking which will open in September 2022,” Dr. Ferrer mentioned. “Our ironclad commitment to making TAU a global player and a model to other Philippine State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) is unhampered,” she added.
THE Impact Rankings evaluates how HEIs comply with the standards set by the United Nations (UN) for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For years, TAU has integrated sustainability to its institutional policies and roadmap to help meet the UN's 2030 Agenda.
A new methodology was announced for the 2022 edition. SDG 17’s metric for education added provisions for extension services. Moreover, immigrants, minorities, and refugees were also considered in SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) to avoid intolerance and prejudice in universities.
This year's THE Impact Ranking was participated in by 15 Philippine Higher Education Institutions (PHEis). Moreover, TAU tied with Central Luzon State University, Mapua University, and University of Sto. Tomas for third place in the Philippines. Australia’s Western Sydney University topped the list and was joined mostly by western HEIs in the Top 10.