By Zaid O. Olanrewaju

The recent university ranking has generated much debate and furore in different circles within and outside Nigeria.

It is an accepted fact that rankings are very controversial and competitive for universities.

The rankings validates standard of a university to attract students, reputed scholars and much desired funding.

The different ranking systems are all competing for acceptance and recognition.  Government worldwide are also concerned about university ranking because it shows the position of a nation in competition with other nations.

Although the university ranking is a guide for people, it is left for the user to make decision based on choice and trust of the ranking tool.

Each ranking body use a variety of tools some of which include:

a) Research activities- innovation, reputation, income generated , industrial partnership , patents

b) Academic community-  facilities, quality, no of professors

c) International exposure- staff , students, and research collaboration

d) Citations – online and other works

e) Attractiveness- Cost ,value for money, % of graduates employed 1 year after graduation

A lot of controversy around university rankings stems from tools of ranking. There is a big debate on the validity of the indicators. Some of these include issues such as what point do we assign a professor in his primary school and in a university where he is a visitor.

The recent NUC university ranking has come under much criticism with some members of the public stating that such role is not the duty of the National University Commission.

This is similar to such controversy worldwide, it should be noted that there exist multiple bodies that rank higher education institutions in each country.

It should be noted that the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings and QS’s academic survey are the two most accepted university ranking bodies globally, although some tools are confirmed to ranking universities within some countries.

There exists the CWTS Leiden Ranking, Scimago Institutions Rankings, Shanghai ARWU, Webometrics, and Center for World University Rankings etc. Two different ranking tools don’t have the same methodology and intent. A very important factor in acceptance of the evaluation criteria is clarity and purpose.

The economic confidential  research team 2017 Ranking of Universities in Nigeria using the  JAMB’s 2017  Statistics of applicants for admission into universities in Nigeria considered  academic stability, popularity, affordability, available facilities and quality of lecturers in determining their choices of preferred universities.

This ranking is very different from the NUC ranking where no criterion was explained for measuring the positioning. Although, it should be noted that NUC have come to refute this list.  This writer is of the opinion that university ranking involves a very deep professional evaluation by experienced experts otherwise such rankings will have no wide acceptance.

Nigeria universities should be more concerned with their global standings on worldwide tables as well as in the national league.  Despite the fact that the positioning of Nigerian universities in THE and QS tables should be very important to the country, we must not neglect our national tables.

Universities should not be fixated on one ranking but a combination of standing on different ranking tables.

The consolidation should focus on continuous improvement, strategic alliances and economic performance of the universities.

How many of our universities are self sustaining, how many foreign students have we attracted into the country, what points can the universities score if the students are to migrate to countries where the migration is point based on international university rankings.

We have to agree that the reputation race is here to stay among the universities.

Zaid O Olanrewaju

Harrow ,  Middlesex, UK.