Part of the agenda for higher education reform in Myanmar, maybe too large a part, focuses on making both the University of Yangon and Mandalay University world class. But how to do that? A few days ago Times Higher Education released a formula for a world-class university drawn from an analysis of the top 200 institutions in its annual ranking exercise – and making all the necessary noises about there being no single model of excellence. For what it’s worth, this is what it came up with:

Annual income: $750,000 per academic
Annual research income: $230,000 per academic
International academic staff: 20%
International student body: 19%
International research co-authoring: 43%
Student-staff ratio: 11.7:1

How, then, might this kind of intelligence help shape higher education policy in a country like Myanmar that is way off the pace? Rankings supremo Phil Baty makes three main points. There does need to be investment. There does need to be great teaching. There does need to be an international outlook. If the right strategies are adopted, all three could be realistic medium-term policy objectives for Myanmar’s leading two universities. Crucially, in my view, the global engagement that is now starting to unfold needs to be pursued with great commitment and determination.