Universities in the UAE and in the region have improved their standings in a new global higher education league table.
Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi cemented its place as the best in the country, moving up from 268th position last year to 211th in the 2020 QS World University Rankings.
For the first time, the region has a seat of learning in the top 150 in the world as King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia is now ranked 143, up from 186 last year.
According to global higher education analysts Quacquarelli Symonds, which publishes the annual ratings, this is the highest rank ever achieved by a university in the region.
The QS World University Rankings assess the world’s top 1,000 universities.
The universities are ranked on academic and employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty-student ratio, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio.
"This year's edition of the QS World University Rankings offers further evidence of a continued shift in the global education hierarchy,' said Ben Sowter, director of research at QS.
"Asia’s record number of top-100 universities is one example. The remarkable rise of universities across the Middle East provides further indication that higher education has never been so competitive.
"The improvement of the region’s universities is based on high levels of internationalization – in particular, the result of efforts to attract talented researchers from across the world to conduct their inquiries in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.”
The institute improved its academic standing, graduate employability, and research impact and in the number of citations per faculty member.
It also ranks among the global top-200 for QS’s Employer Reputation indicator.
In total, 43 Middle Eastern universities placed among the world’s top 1,000. Of those 43 universities, 26 have risen in rank, with only 12 having declined in rank in the past year.
United Arab Emirates University is now ranked at 284, up from 329 last year, and American University of Sharjah is rated at 348, up from 371.
American University in Dubai, University of Sharjah, Abu Dhabi University, Ajman University, and Zayed University also featured in the 1,000-strong list.
Jack Moran, QS spokesman, said that all eight UAE universities included in the rankings had made improvements in the past 12 months.
“The UAE’s universities are highly international. All eight universities achieved perfect scores in our International Faculty indicator, while five achieve perfect scores in our International Students indicator,” said Mr Moran.
“Strategies to increase research impact are imperative if the UAE is to continue improving its performance,” he said.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology was named the world’s best university for the ninth consecutive year, followed by Stanford University at second position and Harvard University at third place.
The UK’s top performer is the University of Oxford, which has fallen from fourth to fifth position, while the University of Cambridge remains seventh.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
