FG Makes National Ranking Mandatory For Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges

The Federal Government has directed universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria to participate in the national tertiary institution ranking exercise.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the directive on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting with members of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee.

Following the expansion of its mandate, the committee has been renamed the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee.

The new committee will oversee a unified ranking framework covering the three major categories of tertiary institutions in the country.

Under the framework, institutions will be assessed using several indicators, including academic performance, research output, infrastructure, institutional development, available resources and other measures of educational quality.

The Federal Government said the ranking is designed to provide institutions with a standard basis for measuring their performance against one another.

It is also expected to help schools identify areas requiring improvement, monitor their progress and strengthen the overall quality of tertiary education in Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, described the initiative as an important step towards improving accountability and standards within the tertiary education sector.

Ahmad said competition among institutions would encourage them to evaluate their performance, address weaknesses and continuously improve the quality of education they offer.

She said, “Healthy competition is essential to encouraging institutions to assess their performance, address identified gaps and consistently improve the quality of education they provide.”

The Federal Government expects the new ranking system to promote transparency, accountability and continuous improvement across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.