Israeli universities drop in intl. ranking

Israeli academic institutions have dropped in international ranking, moving down to lower places among the top 200 universities in the world.

According to a research conducted by the QS World University Rankings, the three Israeli universities listed among the world’s top universities have failed to hold their previous ranking and slipped into lower educational categories.

The Hebrew University has dropped from 102nd to 109th place, Tel Aviv University has fallen from 114th to 138th rank, and the Technion has moved 27 levels down to the 159th position, the report said.

Cambridge University in the UK, conversely, has knocked the US Harvard off the top spot after six consecutive years, placing first in the international ranking.

The ranking came after a report released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday which blamed Israel for not paying enough attention to education, the neglect that has contributed to a considerable reduction in the higher education enrollment rate among young Israelis.

While the OECD supports an average of 42 percent increase in the investment in educational system, an 8 percent raise was noted in the Israel’s average funding between 1995 and 2007, the OECD’s annuals report says.

The QS ranking system assesses universities around the world based on their research quality, teaching commitment, graduate employability and international commitment.