Webometrics’ latest global ranking of universities in 2023 has ranked all of South Africa’s universities based on the quality, quantity, and access to their web content, using open data.

The “Webometrics Ranking of World Universities” is an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain.

The research group’s ranking has a special focus on open access to data from global universities and lists institutions based on the quantity and quality of their web content.

The group stresses that the ranking has nothing to do with university websites – ie., the popularity, design or accessibility – but rather link analysis, which includes bibliographic citations used by other university rankings and also third-party involvement with university activities.

“Research output is also a key topic for webometrics, including not only formal – e-journals, repositories – publications but also informal scholarly communication.

“Web publication is cheaper, maintaining the high standards of quality of peer review processes. It could also reach much larger potential audiences, offering access to scientific knowledge to researchers and institutions located in developing countries and also to third parties (economic, industrial, political or cultural stakeholders) in their local community,” the group said.

Using webometrics, the group focused the 2022 ranking on three main indicators:

Visibility: The number of external networks (subnets) linking to the institution’s web pages ( weighted 50%)

Transparency or Openness: The number of citations from the Top 310 authors, excluding the top 30 outliers (10%)

Excellence: The number of papers amongst the top 10% most cited in each one of all 27 disciplines of the full database over the last five years (40%)

Because the ranking pulls its bibliographic data from many of the same sources, the list of top institutions closely follows that of other rankings. However, the Cybermetrics Lab says its ranking differentiates itself by excluding “subjective” indicators like feedback from surveys and unreliable reporting from the universities themselves.

The caveats to its data include bad naming practices by universities and sharing top-level domains – or changing these domains frequently – which can penalise their performance in the ranking.

Because of the web-based nature of the data collected, the Webometrics ranking also covers a staggering number of higher learning institutions – over 31,000 – including many of the smaller colleges and institutes often left out of other global rankings.

However, because all these institutions are ranked together, no distinction is explicitly made, so colleges, universities and theological seminaries are all listed together.

For South Africa, 123 higher learning institutes were ranked, falling between 246th and 29,531st in the world. South Africa has 26 public universities, including 12 traditional universities, six comprehensive universities, and eight universities of technology. All universities feature in the rankings.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) was the top-ranked university in the country, following the same trend seen in other university rankings.

UCT is followed by the University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University and the University of Pretoria. These were the only universities ranked within the top 500 globally.

Within the top 1000, the University of KwaZulu Nata, the University of Johannesburg, Unisa and the University of the Western Cape follow.

The full ranking of South African universities is below:

Local #UniversityGlobal #1University of Cape Town2462University of the Witwatersrand3983Stellenbosch University4384University of Pretoria4505University of KwaZulu Natal5986University of Johannesburg6537University of South Africa7958University of the Western Cape9279University of the Free State110610Rhodes University113811Cape Peninsula University of Technology159312North-West University166813Tshwane University of Technology171714Durban University of Technology185615University of Fort Hare233916University of Limpopo271017Nelson Mandela University271518University of Venda294119Vaal University of Technology319820Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University327021University of Zululand328022Central University of Technology357023Walter Sisulu University376124University of Mpumalanga793525Mangosuthu University of Technology826226Sol Plaatje University9459

Global Universities

The ranking of global universities aligns closely with other global rankings, with Harvard University in the United States taking top honours.

This is followed by Standford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California Berkeley.

The top 10 is dominated by US institutes, with the only non-US institution in the top 10 being the University of Oxford, ranking 5th, while the University of Cambridge falls just outside the top 10 at 12th.

Global#UniversityCountry1Harvard UniversityUS2Stanford UniversityUS3Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUS4University of California BerkeleyUS5University of OxfordUK6University of MichiganUS7University of WashingtonUS8Cornell UniversityUS9Columbia University New YorkUS10Johns Hopkins UniversityUS

BUSINESS TECH

Four Capricorn TVET College Seshego campus students were released from police custody on a warning, following a court appearance before the Seshego Magistrate’s Court this morning (March 2).

The students were found in possession of assets belonging to the college outside of its premises on Tuesday (February 28) after the burning of property during a student protest.

“The college did not open a case against them, but they were picked up by police who were monitoring the situation.  They were found carrying chairs and tables from the premises,” college spokesperson Madire Mashabela confirmed.

One of the college’s vehicles was set alight and windows in the security guard’s offices broken after stones were thrown.

The entrance block to the campus was also damaged during a demonstration by students over what they say is the college’s refusal to listen to their grievances.

Besides their complaints of a shortage of textbooks and lecturers, unpaid 2022 NSFAS allowances also seem to be the issue.

Students say funding statuses from the scheme for those whose applications were pending were approved a day after the demonstration, leading them to believe that the delay in the disbursement was on the part of the college.

College management, however, refuted allegations of the shortages, saying they had been keeping the Student Representative Council updated on all issues, including the recent addition of lecturers and acquisition of textbooks.

“The acquisition of textbooks started three weeks ago. More lecturers started working since February 17. We have been uploading 2023 declaration forms on the NSFAS portal and continue to do so on our campus premises, however, it is not as quick as it was before due to the damaged to property and workers being delayed by the clean-up,” Mashabela added.

Meanwhile, there was an attempt to join the protest by the college’s campus in Polokwane yesterday but Mashabela confirmed that it did not last long and students were sent home.

Teaching and learning at the Seshego campus has been temporarily suspended.

Review

PHENYO MOKGOTHU

North-West University (NWU) student Onalenna Mongale was announced the North West Sportsman of the Year during the North West Provincial Government’s 7th Provincial Sports Awards that took place on 18 February 2023.

Onalenna represented South Africa at the International University Sports Federation

(FISU) University Combat Sport – Karate Competition in Turkey last year. Onalenna competed in the Individual Kumite and ranked sixth out of about 22 athletes in his division.

He is also a gold medalist at national level in kumite and kata, and was announced the NWU’s International Athlete of the Year and Best Sportsman of the Year in 2022.

Onalenna says that just being nominated for such a prestigious award is uplifting, but actually receiving it feels surreal.

“It is amazing to know that people are noticing your efforts and dedication as an athlete, and to have those efforts validated by receiving such a special award.”

“Being honoured in this way is something that I will always remember and treasure,” adds Onalenna.

“I want to thank the NWU for believing in and assisting me, and I want to extend my gratitude to the NWU karate team, you guys are amazing.”

The NWU’s Soccer Institute also received an award at the North West Provincial Government 7th Provincial Sports Awards. The institute received the Community Sports Developer Award for the year for its role in producing football players and also assisting athletes with bursaries.

SUPPLIED: NWU

Iran’s supreme leader said Monday that if a series of suspected poisonings at girls’ schools are proven to be deliberate the culprits should be sentenced to death for committing an “unforgivable crime.”

It was the first time Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, has spoken publicly about the suspected poisonings, which began late last year and have sickened hundreds of children.

Iranian officials only acknowledged them in recent weeks and have provided no details on who may be behind the attacks or what chemicals — if any — have been used. Unlike neighboring Afghanistan, Iran has no history of religious extremists targeting women’s education.

“If the poisoning of students is proven, those behind this crime should be sentenced to capital punishment and there will be no amnesty for them,” Khamenei said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Authorities have acknowledged suspected attacks at more than 50 schools across 21 of Iran’s 30 provinces since November.

Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said over the weekend that “suspicious samples” had been gathered by investigators, without elaborating. He called on the public to remain calm and accused unnamed enemies of inciting fear to undermine the Islamic Republic.

Vahidi said at least 52 schools had been affected by suspected poisonings, while Iranian media reports have put the number of schools at over 60. At least one boy’s school reportedly has been affected.

Videos of upset parents and schoolgirls in emergency rooms with IVs in their arms have flooded social media.

Iran has imposed stringent restrictions on independent media since the outbreak of nationwide protests in September, making it difficult to determine the nature and scope of the suspected poisonings.

On Monday, Iranian media reported that authorities arrested a Qom-based journalist, Ali Pourtabatabaei, who had been regularly reporting on the suspected poisonings. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper in an editorial had called for the arrests of newspaper publishers who printed articles on the crisis critical of Iran’s theocracy.

The protests were sparked by the death of a young woman who had been detained by morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code. Religious hard-liners in Iran have been known to attack women they perceive as dressing immodestly in public. But even at the height of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and girls continued attending schools and universities.

The children affected in the poisonings have reportedly complained of headaches, heart palpitations, feeling lethargic or otherwise unable to move. Some described smelling tangerines, chlorine or cleaning agents.

Reports suggest at least 400 schoolchildren have fallen ill since November. Vahidi, the interior minister, said in his statement that two girls remain in hospital because of underlying chronic conditions. There have been no reported fatalities.

As more attacks were reported Sunday, videos were posted on social media showing children complaining about pain in the legs, abdomen and dizziness. State media have mainly referred to these as “hysteric reactions.”

The World Health Organization documented a similar phenomenon in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2012, when hundreds of girls across the country complained of strange smells and poisoning. No evidence was found to support the suspicions, and the WHO said it appeared to be “mass psychogenic illnesses.”

AP

INSIDE EDUCATION REPORTER

DESPITE the ban on corporal punishment more than 20 years ago, South African schools still use it as a form of discipline. In 1997, the Abolishing of Corporal Punishment Act, No. 33, was enacted.

But despite the ban, corporal punishment is still used as a form of discipline more than 20 years later, according to a recently released report by Statistics South Africa called Children Series Volume I Children exposed to maltreatment, 2021. 

Of those that reported experiencing violence at school, the most common form of violence experienced was corporal punishment by teachers.

In 2019, just over 1 million out of 13 million school-going children aged 5 – 17 years reported that they had experienced some form of violence. Of those who experienced violence at school, close to 84% experienced corporal punishment by teachers, followed by verbal abuse by teachers (13,7%) and physical violence by teachers (10,6%).

Between 2009 and 2019, the percentage of children who experienced verbal abuse by other learners increased by six percentage points from 18,1% in 2009 to 24,1% in 2019.

Apart from home, school is the most important place in most children’s lives.

Their experience of school will play a vital part in their lives and will determine their academic, social and, probably, their occupational future. However, many children’s school experiences consist of bullying and abuse from other children.

Violent disciplinary methods were used more on females than males.

In 2009, close to 90% of females were subjected to corporal punishment by teachers. By 2019, this figure reduced to 85,5%.

Similarly, the percentage of males who experienced corporal punishment reduced to 82,3% in 2019 from 87,3% in 2009.

In 2009, both genders’ experience of physical abuse by teachers were close to 5%. 

This percentage declined to 3,2% for males in 2019 but remained unchanged for females. On the other hand, more males were victims of verbal abuse by teachers in 2019 (5,6%) compared to females (4,4%).  Females also experienced more verbal abuse by peers in 2019 compared to males (14,3% and 13% respectively).

However, the reverse was observed with regards to physical abuse by another learner where more males (11,9%) experienced more abuse.

While schools are expected to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children to fully benefit from educational opportunities, teachers and peers are the source of a fearful learning environment in South Africa.

The percentage of children aged 5-17 who reported experiencing some form of violence at school reduced by almost half from 18,5% in 2009 to close to 8,2% in 2019. In 2009 children in rural areas experience violence at school compared to those who lived in urban areas.

Moreover, children in urban areas were three times more likely to experience verbal abuse by
other learners compared to their rural counterparts in 2009; and this increased to six times more
likely in 2019.

Children in rural areas were more likely to be subjected to corporal punishment and other abuses compared to those in urban areas. However, verbal and physical abuses inflicted by other learners were more prominent in urban areas.

Violence against children requires a major shift in what societies regard as acceptable practices. Corporal punishment and verbal abuse by teachers are socially accepted and not considered maltreatment of children.

In addition, media reporting typically focus on extreme cases that involve deaths or sexual abuse of children. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the use of violence to punish children may be used with no intention to hurt the child, but this may have negative short-term and long-term consequences. 

These include physical injuries as well as emotional scars.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe has died in a horrific car crash on Sunday morning.

This was confirmed by Free State Premier Mxolisi Dukwana, who described Makgoe’s passing as a big blow to the provincial government.

“Makgoe improved the overall quality of education. This is a big blow to us, the people of Free State. He became a life-long learner,” Dukwana said.

The Free State Premier said provincial government officials visited the accident scene on Sunday morning.
“It was a horrific accident and two cows were hit,” said Dukwana.

Basic Education Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said Makgoe took education in the province to the highest level since he was appointed MEC for education in 2009.

“We recieved the sad news of his passing.
Mr Simply the best (as he was affectionately known within government corridors) really wanted every child to succeed. He loved economics and would at times teach learners,” said Mhlanga.

SADTU General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke said the teachers union was deeply saddened by Makgoe’s passing.

“This is a man who showed great commitment, invested more in Grade R and quality education.”

Maluleka said Makgoe was a “simple and easily accessible man” who treated education as an enabler, supported teachers, a person who did not enjoy just being in the cameras.

He said Makgoe instilled a spirit of team work and supported teachers in the Free State province.

Makgoe understood that Apartheid dispossed black Africans of education, and he was therefore driven by the fact that a black child must recieve quality education to undo that legacy.

Department of Higher Education Spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi described Makgoe as a hard worker who performed his work with diligence to serve his people.

“Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande sends condolences to the Makgoe family, friends and the entire Free State province for the ultimately passing of MEC Makgoe,” Mnisi said.

Makgoe joined the Free State provincial legislature in 1994. He served in different portfolios including as MEC for Agriculture, Finance and later Education. He also served as a member of the ANC’s provincial executive committee in Free State and was tipped as the next Basic Education Minister.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

FREE State Education MEC Tate Makgoe and one of his bodyguards were killed in a horror car crash in the early hours of Sunday morning.  

Makgoe’s official vehicle is said to have collided with three cows in Winburg, according to the Free State premier’s spokesperson Sello Dithebe.

Dithebe said emergency personnel responded to an incident and on arrival at around 1:30am found that a light motor vehicle hit two cows and three occupants were trapped. 

Emergency personnel used the jaws of life to get three people that were trapped inside the vehicle.

Makgoe and the bodyguard were declared dead on the scene. The driver of the vehicle sustained moderate injuries and was taken to the Winburg hospital for later transportation to Bloemfontein hospital. 

Makgoe joined the provincial legislature in 1994. Throughout his career, he become an MEC of Agriculture, Finance and later Education. 

Premier Mxolisi Dukwana said the government of Free State was saddened by the untimely passing of MEC Makgoe. 

“Makgoe improved the overall quality of education. This is a big blow to us, to the people of Free State. He became a life-long learner,” Dukwana said. 

Dukwana said officials visited the accident scene: “It was a horrific accident, and two cows were hit.”

Basic Education Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said since 2009, Makgoe took education in the province to the highest level. 

“We recieve the sad news of his passing. ‘Mr Simply the Best’ said really wanted every child to succeed. He loved economics and would at times teach learners,” said Mhlanga. 

SADTU General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke also paid tribute to Makgoe. 

“This is a man who showed a great commitment, invested more in Grade R and quality education.”

He said Makgoe was a “simple and easily accessible man” who treated education as an enabler, supported teachers, a person who did not enjoy just being in the cameras. 

Maluleke said Makgoe instilled a spirit of teamwork and supported teachers in the Free State province. 

Makgoe understood that Apartheid dispossed black Africans of education, and he was therefore driven by the fact that a black child must recieve quality education to undo that legacy. 

Department of Higher Education spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said Makgoe worked very hard to serve his people. 

“Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande sends condolences to Makgoe family, friends and the entire Free State province for the ultimately passing of MEC Makgoe,” Mnisi said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Protesting Wits University Students marched through Braamfontein on Friday afternoon. 

At around 13:20 some students, accompanied by a group of about 150 people from Braamfontein, broke through the Yale Road South and Station Street Gates, many wearing political party regalia. 

“They came armed with water bottles, rocks and teargas, which they threw at private security officers. Three security officers were hurt and have been taken to the Campus Health and Wellness Centre. The exchange continued for about 20 minutes outside the Great Hall before the crowd dispersed,” the university said. 

It said the situation has calmed down now and campus protection services is trying to get those trespassing off the campus as possible. 

But entrances have been closed and staff and students will be allowed to leave. No one is currently being allowed onto our campuses.

“We have already illustrated our commitment to trying to support our students as far as possible, and to address many of the systemic national issues. We have shown restraint in the face of student protests but condemn the acts of intimidation and the destruction of property,” the University said in a statement. 

The decision by the university on Friday to instruct campus security personnel to remove journalists and photographers covering the student protest was criticised as “censorship and an assault to media freedom.”

The university said lectures proceeded well in the afternoon.

Lets look at some of the demands by the students, and University responses;

1. Students demand: Wits must do more to assist students with funding

University response: Wits has committed R150 million for bursaries and scholarships this year. Last year, Wits administered R1,6 billion in financial aid, scholarships and bursaries which helped over 26,000 students.

2. Students demand: Wits must add R30 million more to the Wits Hardship Fund

University response: R28 million has been committed through the Wits Hardship Fund to assist qualifying students to register and to secure emergency accommodation. To date, 503 students have been assisted. Wits also matched the R6 million raised by the SRC rand for rand = R12 million. In total, there is R40 million available to assist students in need, of which about R36 million has already been allocated.

3. Student demand: Wits must register all students who owe R150 000 and below

University response: Wits cannot agree to this request as it amounts to hundreds of millions of rands, which would make the University unsustainable.

4. Students demand: Wits must register all 6 000 students on the SRC’s list

University response: There are about 200 students who qualify academically in 2023, and who owe funds to the university. Some of the protestors who want to register have failed multiple times, have lost their funding, and are now demanding to return. In one case, a student has been in the system for eight years, and is only in his second year of study.

Wits is committed to welcoming as many academically deserving students as possible. We cannot enrol students who have performed dismally simply because they feel they must be admitted. If they are not passing, they are taking the place of other academically deserving students.

5. Students demand: Wits must cover the shortfall created by the R45 000 NSFAS annual cap on accommodation

University response: Wits can’t change NSFAS policies but accredited private accommodation service providers have agreed to accommodate students within the R45,000 cap. Wits has challenged NSFAS on this cap and will continue to address this matter with NSFAS.

6. Students demand: Wits must secure 150 more emergency beds for students sleeping in libraries

University response: Wits secured 350 beds + 150 additional beds to assist students in need, particularly 40 vulnerable students who had no place to stay.

7. Student demand: Wits must lift the R10 000 upfront payment to access Wits residences

University response: The University already has an option for students to defer the first fee payment.

8. Students demand: Wits has not made any other concessions to help students

University response: A number of other concessions have been made including:

– Allowing students who owe R10 000 or less to register,
– Allowing students whose total household income is below R600,000 to apply for registration assistance by paying 50% of the outstanding debt due and by arranging to pay the balance of the debt during the course of the academic year, and
– Allowing students who owe R15 000 or less to graduate.

9. Claim: Wits is suspending students who protest
University response: Wits will never prevent peaceful protests. However, when students break the University’s rules, damage property and infringe on the rights of those who want to learn and work, the University has no choice but to act against these students. Several students have been suspended to date.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

FOLLOWING continued disruptions to lectures on Thursday, Wits University, has announced that it has suspended students who took part in violent protests in and around the campus. 

Students at the university students embarked on a violent protest on Thursday and made their way into Braamfontein streets where they were joined by other groups. 

“Shops were looted, streets were blocked and property was damaged. This afternoon, we also issued multiple suspension orders to disruptors who transgressed the University’s rules,” the university said in a statement last night on Thursday. 

The university said its Legal Office will continue to work through the evidence submitted by the community to ensure that “perpetrators who can be identified, are charged”.

On Thursday afternoon, however, university activities, including academic programmes, continued as scheduled, with little to zero disruptions. 

The university said during the investigations, it established that some students who participated in the violent disruptions on Thursday morning were students who were already “academically excluded”. 

“Some had failed multiple times, had lost their funding, and were now demanding to be registered,” it said. 

While the university management says it’s engaging the Student Representative Council (SRC), academic activities will continue on Friday. 

“We are also asking lecturers and academics to make up for any time lost and to upload relevant material to Ulwazi.” 

Protesting students are demanding that the university allow students with a debt of R150 000 or less to register, and NSFAS R45 000 cap on accommodation to be amended.

The university said it has progressively increased the amount of funding allocated to students. In 2022, Wits University disbursed over R1,6 billion to 26,161 students.

To date, over 36 200 (96%) of Wits’ students have registered for the 2023 academic year, with Postgraduate intakes set to continue throughout the year. 

In 2023 alone, the university has committed R28 million (up from R10 million) to the Wits Hardship Find, to assist academically deserving students to register and to secure emergency accommodation, in line with the rules of the Fund and resources permitting.

To date over 500 students have been funded at a cost of R18.1 million.

This is over and above the R150 million that the university provides in scholarships to deserving students annually.

“The University has secured 350 beds from accredited private accommodation service providers to assist students in need, including those that have been sleeping in libraries and other spaces. These students are being assisted on a daily basis as beds become available,” it said. 

The university and private service providers are also navigating NSFAS’ decision to cap accommodation costs at R45,000 per annum, which it said “is regrettable”.

Wits University appealed the decision and lobbied for a differentiated approach that takes the real cost of accommodation into account.

INSIDE EDUCATION