Federal government makes tertiary institution rankings compulsory across Nigeria

Nigeria is extending its national education rankings beyond universities and making participation compulsory for every university, polytechnic and college of education.

Education Minister Tunji Alausa announced the policy in Abuja at a meeting with the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee. The body has been expanded and renamed the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee to reflect its wider mandate.

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quality, accountability, institutional performance and global competitiveness

Alausa said the unified framework would give institutions clear benchmarks for measuring performance, identifying weaknesses and tracking improvement. The government also expects the rankings to encourage competition across the tertiary sector and strengthen Nigeria’s institutions internationally.

The 2026/2027 ranking exercise for universities will begin in September. The committee will decide when to extend the process to polytechnics and colleges of education. The government plans to fund the exercise through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and develop guidelines requiring institutions to take part.

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clear benchmarks for assessing their performance, identifying areas requiring improvement and measuring progress

The minister said the Federal Ministry of Education would provide policy direction, funding and capacity-building support. It also plans in-service training and institutional programmes intended to make the system credible and sustainable.

Minister of State for Education Suwaiba Ahmad described the initiative as a move to improve quality and accountability. She said the rankings should include public and private institutions and help establish minimum standards across the sector. The policy forms part of President Bola Tinubu’s education reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative.

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Healthy competition is essential to encouraging institutions to assess their performance, address identified gaps and consistently improve the quality of education they provide.