Ex-NMP asks how NUS ranks above CalTech in global university rankings

SINGAPORE: While most Singaporeans were likely to celebrate the National University of Singapore ranking eighth among the top universities in the world earlier this week, former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng has a different take and was unafraid to say so.

“What kind of ridiculous ranking puts NUS (ZERO Nobel prizes ) ahead of Caltech (46 Nobel Prizes)??” Mr Cheng asked in a comment on a Facebook post covering the UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2025 on June 5.

Although Mr Cheng’s stint in Parliament ended over a dozen years ago, he continues to be active on social media and outspoken on local and global social and political issues. While his FB comment had its share of detractors, others agreed with him.

He even got into a tiff with another commenter, who endeavoured in good faith, at least initially, to explain NUS’ high ranking. Mr Cheng, however, said that the netizen was just “very good at copy and pasting.”

Over on Reddit, a commenter said he had the same question as the former NMP and asked others to clarify the matter.

A Reddit user explained that the ranking is heavily influenced by research but may not necessarily reflect “undergrad outcomes” and teaching quality.

One commented that Singaporeans should “stop putting ourselves on a pedestal” because of high rankings.

“I have a lot more respect for the folks that made it into the likes of China’s Peking/Tsinghua, Korea’s SKY, India’s IIT, etc. than our local uni grads, even if we’re technically ranked ‘higher,’” they added.

A commenter who claimed to be a longtime academic noted that students in Singapore have a very low bar to pass and very little incentive for rigorous study.

The commenter added that professors “dumb down” when they teach out of fear of receiving poor teaching evaluations. They also claimed to have raised the topic of “manipulated” rankings multiple times, “but we would rather look good than be good. It’s a shame.”

Many other commenters on Facebook and Reddit have called the rankings “absurd” and “meaningless.”

Others, however, implied that Mr Cheng had a sour grapes attitude since his alma mater, Oxford University, considered to be one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, had ranked only third on the list, behind Massachusetts University of Technology (first) and Imperial College London (second). /TISG

Read also: NUS and NTU secure top spots in 2024 Times Higher Education Asian University Rankings