เมื่อประเมินคุณภาพการให้การศึกษา พบว่า ม.มหานคร เป็นอันดับ 1 ในประเทศไทย

ตอนนี้หลากหลายหน่วยงาน ได้มีการจัดอันดับ หรือจัดกลุ่มของมหาวิทยาลัย ทั้ง สมศ สกอ และ สกว นี่เป็นข่าวที่ลงใน Bangkok Post ในประเด็นที่ดำเนินการโดย สมศ ครับ

Mahanakorn tops uni poll
New varsity trumps old school in rankings
Writer: SIRIKUL BUNNAG
Published: 9/09/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: NewsThe ranking of Mahanakorn University of Technology as the country's No.1 university ahead of well-known public institutes has shocked education experts.

Mahanakorn topped the latest assessment by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA) in two categories: research and learning qualities, and the quality of graduates.

Suranaree University of Technology came second in the two categories, according to the agency which released its findings yesterday.

Their rankings topped established universities such as Chulalongkorn and Thammasat which are much more popular with high school students.

Thammasat was fourth and Chulalongkorn was seventh in terms of research and learning qualities. Both are rated only "good" by the agency.

The ONESQA is a public organisation set up to assess the performance of all educational institutions from schools to universities.

The ONESQA looked at the quality of research, academic services, human resource development and teaching, among other factors, in the assessment of research and learning qualities.

It also used criteria such as the graduate employment rate and employer satisfaction with graduates.

Mahanakorn, in Nong Chok district, Bangkok, was established in 1990. Suranaree is an autonomous state university located in Nakhon Ratchasima's Muang district. It was also established in 1990. State-run Ubon Ratchathani University, which is highly rated by the ONESQA, was set up in 1987.

ONESQA director Somwung Pitiyanuwat said there were factors behind the new universities outperforming the older institutes in the assessment.

"They probably have brought in many young, energetic academics," Mr Somwung said.

Other factors include clear directions on how to produce graduates, creative research programmes and ambitions to expand their curriculums or new campuses, he said.

"Those factors could lead to their unexpected success," the ONESQA director said.

Rectors of well-known universities could not be reached for comment on the ONESQA finding.

But an executive of a famous state university called into question the reliability and credibility of the assessment by the ONESQA.

"Is the ONESQA assessment well recognised by the public? Does it reflect the reality?" asked the academic who did not want to reveal his name or the name of his university.

The academic said it was unfair to rate public and private universities, as state universities were duty bound to be service providers for the general public, while private universities did not have this obligation.

The assessment on higher education institutes was undertaken between 2006 and 2008 in 202 colleges and universities. It was the second assessment after the first was made between 2001 and 2005.There are 16 colleges or universities which fail to meet the criteria set up by the agency; 10 of them have been given six months to improve.

Mr Somwung refused to name the six schools which failed to meet the standard and were not given a second chance for the review. He said three of them are community colleges and three are private universities.

The ONESQA has found 29 public and private colleges or universities offering 52 disciplines which are not up to standard.