The federal government’s decision to bring universities, polytechnics and colleges of education under a unified national tertiary education ranking framework is a significant development. We believe it can strengthen accountability and raise standards across Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
But ranking institutions is only the beginning. A ranking can show who is performing well and where gaps exist. It cannot, by itself, improve teaching, research, infrastructure or graduate employability. We therefore urge the federal government to ensure that the new framework becomes a tool for institutional improvement, not merely an annual league table.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has expanded the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee into the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee, with participation now compulsory for tertiary institutions nationwide. The 2026/2027 university ranking exercise is expected to begin in September.
We welcome the expansion, but we call for absolute transparency in the methodology.
Institutions, students, parents and employers should understand what is being measured and how scores are determined. Data must be verifiable, consistently applied and independently credible. The framework should assess teaching quality, research, innovation, infrastructure, digital capacity, student experience, industry partnerships, graduate employability and governance.
We also posit that ranking must lead to action. If an institution performs poorly because of inadequate laboratories, government should identify the gap and provide a pathway for improvement. Where research capacity is weak, targeted grants and staff development should follow. Where graduates struggle to find employment, institutions should strengthen curricula, internships and industry partnerships.
This is where the role of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund becomes critical. We urge government to use ranking outcomes to inform targeted investment rather than simply reward institutions that are already strong.
At the same time, the framework must recognise that universities, polytechnics and colleges of education have different mandates. A research-intensive university should not be judged in exactly the same way as a technical institution or teacher-training college. There should be common standards, but also sector-specific indicators.
We believe the ultimate test should be relevance. Nigeria needs universities capable of competing globally, polytechnics producing the technical talent industry requires and colleges of education producing competent teachers. Rankings should therefore measure not only international visibility but also how effectively institutions serve the Nigerian economy.
We further urge each institution to develop an annual improvement plan based on its ranking results. Vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts should be able to demonstrate what weaknesses have been identified, what action is being taken and whether measurable progress has occurred.
The process should become a cycle: measure, diagnose, support, improve and measure again.
We commend the government for widening the ranking framework. But we call for ambition beyond moving Nigerian institutions higher on international tables.
The real objective should be to build institutions whose quality naturally earns global recognition.
The ranking table will show who is moving.
The quality of Nigeria’s tertiary education system will show whether the country is truly moving forward.
