The most important aspect in addressing environmental, social and governance issues is taking action to find sustainable solutions. The North-West University (NWU) is among the leading higher education institutions in Africa in responding to crucial environmental, social and governance issues.
This is according to the latest Sustainability ranking by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) agency that places the NWU among the top eight out of 43 institutions on the continent. The university is ranked among the top six out of 12 South African universities and overall 458th out of the 1 403 institutions that qualified for the ranking internationally.
According to QS, universities must be eligible for the QS World University Rankings and the QS Rankings by Region or the QS Rankings by Subject to qualify for the Sustainability ranking.
The NWU’s performance in the rankings is especially impressive considering that the number of institutions featured increased with 703 this year. Despite this, the university still managed to improve its position in the ranking.
This is the second year that QS has compared universities using environmental and social sustainability measurement indicators. They published the rankings on 5 December.
Lenses identify strongest performances
The three performance lenses applied in each of the three categories are environmental impact, social Impact and governance. Each performance lens is made up of separate indicators that is used to calculate a score.
The NWU’s strongest environmental impact lens is environmental research with knowledge exchange being the strongest in social impact. The university received a score of 124 in the governance category.
The environmental impact lens includes environmental research, environmental sustainability and environmental education.
The social impact lens covers knowledge exchange, equality, health and wellbeing, the impact of education and employability and outcomes.
Dr Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor, says the QS World University Rankings for Sustainability highlights the NWU’s strong points but also shows the areas on which the university community should focus as it works towards the targets set by the United Nations’ Sustainability Goals*.”
*The United Nations’ 17 Sustainability Goals are: No Poverty; Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being; Quality Education; Gender Equality; Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Reduced Inequalities; Sustainable Cities and Communities; Responsible Consumption and Production; Climate Action; Life Below Water; Life on Land; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; and Partnerships for the Goals.
