The Federal Ministry of Education has announced that Nigeria’s national tertiary institutions ranking will now include polytechnics and colleges of education alongside universities.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said participation is mandatory for all tertiary institutions, marking a major shift in the country’s education policy.
Speaking in Abuja at a meeting with the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC), Alausa explained that the committee has been renamed the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee to reflect its broadened scope.
He said the expanded ranking framework is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, driven through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
The initiative is designed to strengthen quality assurance, accountability, and global competitiveness across Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape.
Goals Of The Ranking System
According to Alausa, the ranking system will provide institutions with clear benchmarks to measure performance, spotlight areas needing improvement, and spur healthy competition among schools.
He confirmed that the 2026/2027 ranking exercise for universities will begin in September, while timelines for polytechnics and colleges of education will be determined by the committee.
The Minister assured that the Federal Government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), will fund the exercise, develop guidelines to institutionalise it, and formally notify vice-chancellors and heads of institutions that compliance is mandatory.
Government Commitment And Oversight
Alausa pledged the Ministry’s full commitment to policy direction, funding, and capacity-building. He expressed confidence that the reforms would position more Nigerian institutions for stronger performance in future global rankings.
Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, described the move as a major step toward reinforcing accountability and quality in the sector.
She emphasised that both public and private institutions must be covered to guarantee minimum standards nationwide. “The ranking will help institutions identify gaps and drive measurable improvement as the system continues to grow,” she said
Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, Chairman of the newly renamed committee and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), welcomed the expanded mandate.
He said the committee’s original proposal had been exceeded by the Minister’s response, which broadened its scope significantly.
Okebukola congratulated the Tinubu administration on Nigerian universities’ rising global visibility and called for greater investment to sustain progress.
The expanded ranking system is expected to drive reforms across all tiers of tertiary education, ensuring that polytechnics and colleges of education are held to the same standards as universities.
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