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By Gabriel Dike
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and stakeholders are taking stock of how to improve Nigeria’s universities in global ranking.
At a two-day capacity building workshop for public universities in Lagos, TETfund and NUC painted a picture of poor outing by Nigerian universities in global ranking and stressed the need to arrest the drift.
The workshop attracted TEFFund Executive Secretary, Prof Elias Bogoro; Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Kashim Ibrahim-Iman; Deputy Executive Secretary, NUC, Dr Chris Mayaki; vice chancellors, former executive secretary, NUC, Prof Peter Okebukola; former VC, University of Ibadan, Prof Olufemi Bamiro and others.
Bogoro said TEFFund said: “The workshop is part of a series of programmes that the fund has identified for public tertiary institutions in the country as part of our strategy to reposition the universities as catalyst for national rebirth and development.
“The nation’s education sector is evolving and growing steadily, with challenges which are not unexpected of an emerging state. Education is critical ingredient for nation building and has continued to be a beacon for the sustainable existence of society and has been identified as the panacea for the survival of the human race.
“Great nations as giants were able o attain such heights through education and the quest for knowledge. The success of universities internationally, aside from benefits derived through research, that helps create jobs and business, they also help nations, secure a share of global growth and influence.
“There can be no denying the fact that universities remain big players in the economics of advanced nations and indeed developing nations too. Government is committed to improve the situation and put the country on path to growth and progress. There is no better way to start the process than in repositioning the nation’s tertiary institutions, which have not fully served the purpose for which they were established.
“Unfortunately, in global ranking, Nigerian universities are not doing well and are not known to have been. In the Time Higher Education (THE) ranking for 2022, the University of Ibadan (UI) tops the list for Nigerian universities (401-500th), University of Lagos (UNILAG) (500-600) and Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State (601-608). In 2021, Lagos State University (LASU), was ranked 505-600 second to UI.” He, however, noted the increasing performance of Asian universities.
Bogoro: “In all of Africa, it is perhaps mostly the universities in South African and Egypt that have featured relatively well on the world ranking tables. The performances of Nigerian universities still remain far below expectation and that is why we have called for this gathering.’’
He described the poor ranking as unfortunate and worrisome:
“This calls for reflection and action from government and stakeholders.” He identified some of the problems hindering the progress and performances of Nigerian universities in the global ranking to include, poor investment by some arms of government in the development of universities, decaying infrastructure, corruption in public university system and high number of mushrooms universities not worthy of status.
Others are poor attitude of Nigerian lecturers to teaching and research, large numbers of students at undergraduates’ level and limited financial and physical resources, low research outputs, low performance on international linkages and collaborations, and low in quality of faculty due to brain drain of lecturers and brilliant students to foreign institutions.
Executive Secretary, NUC, represented by Dr Mayaki, said: “With 201 universities, the capacity building workshop to reposition universities is apt and in-tandem with the commission’s concern to tackle the situation. NUC aligns its position with the vision of TETFund, which has the potential to leapfrog the universities to a better ranking. The concept of ranking has come to stay.
“Nigerian universities have strong performance in the current THE ranking with six universities. Nigerian has more universities ranked in THE out of 1,000 ranked universities in the world.
“The commission has not ranked any university in the last 17 years. The public should disregard any ranking trending online. Participants should come up with solution of how to improve the ranking of Nigerian universities in the global ranking.”
Ibrahim-Imam acknowledged that TETFund did well with provision of facilities and research grants to tertiary institutions in the country: “We came up with the capacity building workshop on ranking for vice chancellors and those concerned with the issue. We are concerned about our global ranking. We have best scholars in our universities, so we want to find solution to it.
“University of Ibadan has been appearing in the list with UNILAG and LASU. There are three from Nigeria in the ranking lists. We are not comfortable with the performances of Nigerian universities in the ranking. We want result from VCs because we are not comfortable where we are.”
Workshop coordinator and former VC of LASU, Prof Lanre Fagbohun, said: “The workshop is meant to proffer solution on how to improve Nigerian universities’ global rankings. It is for universities from South South, South East and South West. TETFund will organise one for northern universities in December in Abuja.”
