EDUCATION: Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, the chairman of the Higher Education Observatory for Africa’s governing board, has praised the National Universities Commission for its achievements in carrying out its 2021–2027 strategic plan.
Dr. Fred Mensah, a Ghanaian who serves on the HEOFA Board, said in a statement that the top ranking of Nigerian universities in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, which was published on August 15, 2022, is the result of the NUC-led effort.
One of the most prestigious ranking systems in the world is ARWU.
The number of alumni and staff members who have won Nobel prizes and field medals, the number of highly cited researchers chosen by Clarivate, the number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science, the number of articles indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index in the Web of Science, and the performance of a university per capita are the six objective indicators used to rank the world’s universities.
Notable Quotes
According to HEOFA:
“for the first time in the history of ARWU which started in 2003, University of Ibadan appeared in the 800-901 band.”
“In the 2022 GRAS ranking which was also released on Monday, Nigeria featured as follows: in Veterinary Sciences, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, emerged in the 201 to 300 group; in Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University was also in the 201 to 300 group; while in Psychology, University of Nigeria emerged in the 401 to 500 group”.
“The chairman of the governing board of HEOFA, Okebukola, congratulated the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, as well as the authorities of the University of Ibadan, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and Obafemi Awolowo University for this feat.”
“With the 2021-2027 strategic plan on ranking and the 2019-2023 blueprint on the Rapid Revitalisation of University Education in Nigeria being implemented by the NUC, the world of ranking will quake with the huge appearance of Nigerian universities in the top 200 in the world before 2030.”
“I urge all stakeholders to be part of the provision of the enabling environment of better resourcing of our universities, better welfare scheme for staff to bolster motivation and enhance commitment to quality teaching and research and all in the context of a stable academic calendar in order to achieve our 2030 goal of top ranking in global league tables.”
