Durban — The Durban University of Technology (DUT) has been ranked 13th in the Times Higher Education sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings
According to Times Higher Education, the University of the Witwatersrand took first place in the first Times Higher Education sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings.
Other South African universities that made the top 5 included the University of Johannesburg in second place and the University of Pretoria in fourth place.
In sixth place was the University of the Western Cape, the University of Venda in 11th place, the Unisa in 12th place and the Durban University of Technology in 13th place.
It said the new ranking aimed to shine a spotlight on the higher education institutions in this African region and to address local higher education challenges.
Times Higher Education said the top five were made up of universities from South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
The ranking includes 88 institutions from 20 countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Mauritius, Kenya and Mozambique.
Times Higher Education said the ranking was put together with a hybrid methodology that covers elements of teaching, impact and research. The methodology is made up of five key pillars: resources and finance; access and fairness; teaching skills; student engagement and Africa impact.
A key part of the data collection was a survey of more than 20 000 students from 88 institutions. Students were asked a range of questions including how challenged they felt by the teaching at the university, how much it supported critical thinking and the opportunities they had to interact with staff and peers.
DUT corporate affairs senior director Alan Khan said the university had been ranked as one of the top 13 universities in sub-Saharan Africa by the 2023 Times Higher Education sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings.
Khan said the ranking explored the impact of the universities in addressing some of the toughest challenges encountered in Africa, such as graduate employability, teaching quality, research impact and inequality. The current performance of ranked universities was assessed to identify key areas where they could improve.
DUT acting deputy vice-chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement Professor Keolebogile Motaung said: “Congratulations to the entire university community on this great achievement. A special thank you goes out to the chair of DUT Council, Mr Wiseman Madinane, and DUT vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu for their immense support and great leadership. Both have always reiterated that excellence is a consistent dedication to sustained quality improvement that exceeds expectations in all that we do and are. I would also like to applaud our researchers for their sheer dedication to their work, we would not have achieved this accolade without them.
“This also proves DUT excellence which enhances our university rankings, and currently, we are listed in the top 13 among 88 universities in sub-Saharan Africa. This ranking will ensure that DUT continues to shine nationally, on the African continent and in the world.”
Motaung added that the recent ranking spoke to the university’s ENVISION2030 strategy, of improving lives and livelihoods. Innovative curricula and research and is also one of the enabling strategic objectives of ENVISION2030.
Times Higher Education’s chief global affairs officer Phil Baty said the introduction of this unique pioneering ranking, developed specifically for and led-by African education organisations, was a significant moment.
He indicated that the ranking had demonstrated the broad and diverse strengths of a wide range of universities across the African continent.
In October 2022, DUT was ranked in the top 5 of all universities in South Africa by the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings which were announced in London.
DUT was also ranked in the top one-third out of a total of 1 799 universities, from 104 countries worldwide. DUT remains the number 1 university of technology in the country.
The university is extremely grateful to the staff, students, researchers, alumni and partners who are living the values and principles as enshrined in the ENVISION2030 strategy. This success would not have been possible without their valuable contribution.
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