With high school exam results out in many countries, I was contacted by friends seeking advice regarding which universities I can recommend to send their family members. With background working in academia I kept a close eye on developments in the higher education system worldwide, and often follow the diverse rankings published annually by magazines, newspapers, websites, institutions, governments, or academics ranking entire establishments globally, regionally or nationally, as well as more detailed rankings listing programs, departments or schools.

Taking a look at the latest lists from different sources, I felt sad how low Arab Universities are ranked. I find it painful that despite the vast sums of money Arab countries spend on the sector, and the expanding campuses occupying hundreds of acres, and hosting splendid infrastructure, exquisite buildings and state of the art technology, the research outcome and the teaching quality leave a lot to be desired.

In the table below I summarise the results I obtained from the major higher education ranking sources, and compare the Arab world’s results with those for institutions in Singapore (a country with approximately 10% and 1.5% of the Arab world’s GDP and population respectively). I also compare the results with the rankings for institutions in Israel, a country Arabs like to bench themselves against.

Table 1: Highest ranking university in the Arab world, Singapore and Isreal

Country /Region	Rankings
	QS University	Times Higher Education	Shanghai
Arab world	173	201-250	101-150
Singapore	11	24	91
Israel	145	186	93

 

In the graph below, a normalised score is shown comparing the scores of the Arab world to those in ASEAN or the trio of Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau, and to Israel.

Figure 1: Normalised ranking score in several regions/countries

The results above are a snapshot, and I have no judgment on which ranking is the better list or the pros and cons of any of the rankings or their methodologies.

I write this not as a form of self-abasement, pity, or disrespect, but rather as a wake-up call hoping that some egos will be stimulated to wipe out the shameful results and act to rectify the situation. I live in hope.