Alausa Expands National Tertiary Institutions’ Ranking, Makes Participation Compulsory

The Minister of Education in Nigeria, Dr Tunji Alausa, has broadened the scope of the national tertiary education ranking system to include universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, according to a statement released on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Ikharo Attah, the Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communications.

The expansion was made during a meeting with the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC) and is part of President Bola Tinubu’s education reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda, executed through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).

Alausa stated that the updated ranking system aims to boost quality, accountability, institutional performance, and global competitiveness across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector. "The ranking will provide institutions with clear benchmarks for assessing their performance, identifying areas needing improvement, and measuring progress while promoting healthy competition and continuous institutional advancement," he said.

The 2026/2027 ranking exercise for universities is set to begin in September, with the committee determining the timeline for extending the evaluation to polytechnics and colleges of education. The Federal Government will fund the exercise through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which will develop guidelines to institutionalize the ranking and officially notify institutions of the mandatory participation requirement.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, highlighted the significance of the initiative, emphasizing that healthy competition would encourage all Nigerian tertiary institutions to assess their performance, address weaknesses, and consistently enhance the quality of education they provide. She reiterated the ministry’s commitment to providing policy direction, funding, and capacity-building support to ensure the ranking framework's credibility, sustainability, and impact.

Ahmad also stated that the ranking exercise should encompass both public and private institutions to establish and maintain minimum standards across the sector.

Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, the Chairman of NURAC and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), congratulated President Tinubu on the rising global recognition of Nigerian universities and called for increased investment in university education to accelerate progress. The committee's expanded mandate now includes polytechnics and colleges of education, transforming it into the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee.

Okebukola expressed optimism about sustained investment, stronger institutional capacity, and the new national ranking framework enabling more Nigerian institutions to achieve significant international rankings and compete confidently with leading institutions worldwide.