Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024: New Zealand tops globally in university sustainability stewardship … – Education Times

New Zealand universities have made it to the top for sustainability stewardship in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024. The universities approach to sustainability and equality has been declared as world-leading by Times Higher Education (THE) in its recent Impact Rankings (2024). The stewardship rankings saw New Zealand score an average of 85.3 to come out ahead of Australia (84.4) and Hong Kong (81.9). All eight New Zealand universities participated in the rankings.

Currently in its sixth year, the Impact Rankings is the only ranking system in the world that measures universities contributions to theUnited Nations Sustainability Goals(UN SDGs). The Rankings assess the commitment made by universities to sustainability across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach,and teaching.

In topping the table for sustainability stewardship, New Zealands universities have scored well against indicators such as tracking food waste and having sustainable food choices on campus (SDG 2), the proportion of senior female academics (SDG 5), having water reuse policies and measurements (SDG 6), ensuring energy efficiency with renovations of buildings (SDG 7),and guaranteeing a living wage (SDG 8).The universities also scored high forcontributing to policies addressing poverty (SDG 1), collaborating with health institutions (SDG 3), providing programmes for the local community to learn about energy efficiency (SDG 7), participating in cooperative planning for climate change disasters (SDG 13),and providing expert advice to government (SDG 16).

ENZs acting chief executive Linda Sissons, said, New Zealands education systemis guided by Kaitiakitanga(the Mori concept of guardianship). This principle instilsa deep sense of connection to our land and a commitment to ensuring its health and vitality for future generations.

"Kaitiakitangainforms the approach taken by our universities to resource management, conservation, and sustainable development that all contribute to the UNs SDGs particularlyin the areas of food security, bioenergy, sustainable urban development, and climate change, added Sissons.

In this year's Impact Rankings,a record 2,152 universities from 125 countries/regions were evaluated. Progress is measured for each of the individual 17 SDGs, and across the goals as a whole.

Impact of Indian universities

Among the Indian universities, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham secured 81strank, scoring in areas such as quality education (4), good health and well-being (3), gender equality (5), and partnerships for the goals (17). In the 101-200 band, four Indian higher education institutions, namely, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Lovely Professional University (LPU), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences have been ranked. Among the IITs, IIT Gandhinagar is in the 301-400thband category while Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences is in the 201-300th band category and Amity University has bagged a position in the 401-66 band category.

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Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024: New Zealand tops globally in university sustainability stewardship ... - Education Times