Nigeria’s national tertiary education ranking exercise for 2026 will be concluded before the end of the year, the Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee, Emeritus Teacher Peter Okebukola, has actually said.
Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, divulged this on Tuesday while speaking on the Federal government’s decision to widen the ranking workout to include polytechnics and colleges of education.
The growth follows a recent statement by the Federal government that participation in the national ranking workout would end up being required for tertiary institutions throughout the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, had actually announced the policy during a conference with members of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee in Abuja. The committee is expected to be broadened into the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee to accommodate its broader duties.
Speaking on the schedule for the exercise, Okebukola said the 2026 ranking would be finished within the existing year.
“The 2026 edition will happen before completion of the year,” he said.
He likewise dismissed concerns that the broadened committee may lack the personnel needed to supervise the ranking of the three categories of tertiary organizations.
According to him, the size of the labor force would not always impact the committee’s capability to perform its duties effectively.
“Did you know that all the global ranking systems have less than 10 individuals implementing their activities?” Okebukola stated.
The former NUC Executive Secretary included that the committee would advise suitable evaluation criteria for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education after the broadened body had been formally constituted.
He stated the different classifications of organizations could not necessarily be examined using precisely the exact same indications due to the fact that they operate under various requireds.
“The committee will encourage the Honourable Minister of Education on the ranking metrics for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education when totally in place,” he stated.
The Federal government had actually discussed that the expanded ranking system was intended to enhance requirements, accountability and institutional efficiency throughout Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
Alausa stated the exercise would enable organizations to examine their performance versus developed standards, determine weak points and take steps to improve.
The minister also stated the ranking system would motivate constructive competitors amongst organizations and reinforce their capacity to contend internationally.
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Under the proposed plan, universities, polytechnics and colleges of education will be examined within a more comprehensive national framework.
The federal government is anticipated to support the exercise through funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, while guidelines will also be established to formally develop the ranking as a routine function of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Alausa had actually earlier specified that the ranking workout for universities for the 2026/2027 cycle would start in September. The expanded advisory committee is expected to figure out the appropriate timetable for polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, also explained the effort as an essential procedure for enhancing quality and accountability in the tertiary education sector.
She said institutions would be motivated to regularly examine their performance, determine drawbacks and work towards enhancing the quality of education and services they supply.
Ahmad likewise maintained that both public and personal institutions ought to be covered by the workout to promote minimum requirements and constant enhancement across the sector.
Okebukola said the committee’s engagement with the Minister of Education followed an earlier memorandum in which members praised the Federal Government on the increasing recognition of Nigerian universities in international rankings.
The committee had likewise called for greater financial investment in tertiary education to help Nigerian institutions enhance their research study capability, infrastructure and total competitiveness.
Nevertheless, the minister’s reaction led to a wider proposition that would extend the national ranking framework beyond universities.
With the 2026 edition now anticipated to be completed before December, the broadened committee will be required to develop ideal indications for measuring the performance of institutions with various academic and expert mandates.
The result of the workout is anticipated to provide the Federal government and tertiary organizations with clearer information on institutional performance and areas requiring improvement.
The new approach represents a considerable modification in the assessment of Nigeria’s tertiary education system, as universities, polytechnics and colleges of education will now be brought under a collaborated nationwide efficiency evaluation framework.