Prof Anthony Kola-Olusanya is the immediate past Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic, Research, Innovation and Partnerships (ARIP) at Osun State University, Osogbo. In this interview with IYABO LAWAL, he spoke on the recently released Times Higher Education (THE) report on the ranking of universities, the challenges confronting the sector, and how the country can improve its rating, among others.

Times Higher Education (THE) lately released the 2024 ranking of universities, and no Nigerian institution again made it to the top 500. What do you think is responsible for this?
Many reasons can be adduced for the non-ranking of Nigerian universities among the top 500 institutions in the world in the recently released 2024 Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THEWUR). The 13 performance indicators grouped into five categories for ranking universities globally, include teaching (30 per cent), citations (30 per cent), research (30 per cent), international outlook (7.5 per cent) and industry income (2.5 per cent).

One of the reasons why Nigerian universities are not in the top 500 in the world is the issue of combined funding and research output. Insufficient funding hinders the ability to compete globally and limits the research capabilities of university academics.

However, through the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund), we now have the National Research Fund (NRF), which awards various research grants competitively across the tertiary education ecosystem. But the fund needs to increase substantially, so that more academics can benefit, and such impact can translate into higher ranking over time.

Another reason is the number of research publication citations academic staff from the university have, which is a function of research output. In addition, collaboration with international researchers and publications in high-impact journals is limited.

Other reasons include inadequate infrastructure and facilities, and limited access to technology, which affects teaching standards and quality in Nigerian universities.

To address these challenges, the government, university administrations, academic staff and other stakeholders must work to improve funding, infrastructure, research output, and quality of education in Nigerian universities.

However, it has not been a story of outright doom for university rankings in Nigeria. Within the Sub-Saharan region, Nigeria is the most represented nation overall, with 37 ranked institutions, led by Covenant University (CU) in the seventh place, and among the top-ranked 800 in the world.

At the global level, we have 12 universities ranked in the world. As we all know, ranking is a work in progress, and each university and country only needs to keep improving to be competitive. A broader examination of the rankings showed that Nigerian universities are not doing badly across the vital focus areas, such as impact on the continent, teaching, and research.

To get to where we are today in global ranking and sub-Saharan Africa is the result of determined and consistent efforts of the National University Commission’s (NUC) ranking committee, led by Prof. Peter Okebukola.

The committee’s efforts have helped in repositioning many universities ranked by THE. For instance, in the 2022 ranking, only five Nigerian universities were featured in four subjects, while in 2023, 48 were cumulatively listed among the world’s best in 11 disciplines, including arts and humanities, business and economics; education; law; social sciences; computer science; engineering; clinical and health; life sciences; physical sciences and psychology.

There are concerns about the proliferation of ranking organisations, raising questions about the relevance and credibility of their reports. What do you think about this?
Multiple world university rankings are available from different organisations, and they evaluate universities using criteria other than publication output and citation impact.

There are nearly 20 global rankings, but the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking (QSWUR) Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), and Webometrics Ranking of World Universities (WRWU) remain the most widely and frequently referenced.

Most universities, government and other stakeholders objectively base their decisions on the rankings of these four bodies. The four systems’ intentions are always noble, such as providing universities with information to help them see their respective positions from the broadest possible sense.

However, the proliferation of ranking organisations raises questions about the relevance of the reports and credibility. These are methodological issues, and since different organisations use different parameters, this often leads to disparate results and discrepancies in rankings.

Other problems include subjectivity, agenda and funding, limited scope, and lack of consideration for contextual factors. Meanwhile, despite these identified methodological issues, rankings still offer valuable insights, and they should be considered one of many factors rather than definitive quality or performance measures.

There are also allegations of bias and subjectivity against the ranking organisations. Of course, we may not rule out the allegations of bias and subjectivity from ranking organisations, which are not peculiar to our clime.

All the same, we should not summarily dismiss rankings just because they are not favourable. What is best is for Nigerian universities to continue to work consciously towards meeting those weighting criteria or indicators and, thus, higher rankings.

There have been instances where some top universities have had to opt out of some ranking bodies at one time or another due to allegations of subjectivity and bias. Such a situation occurs when such a university is convinced or believed that they have done more than what indicators reveal in the released rankings.

To minimise the allegations of bias and subjectivity, ranking organisations must strive to be transparent about their methodologies, criteria, and data sources.

In summary, addressing allegations of bias and subjectivity requires a commitment to transparency, rigorous quality control, and continuous improvement from ranking organisations.

Why are rankings necessary and how do they help the system?
Rankings serve several purposes depending on the context. The four systems’ intentions are always noble, such as providing universities with information to help them see their respective positions from the broadest possible sense. As such, rankings help distil complex information into a simple, easily understandable format, facilitating comparisons and decision-making processes.

Ranking also helps stakeholders make policy decisions; policymakers might use country rankings to inform policy decisions while assisting would-be students in deciding about universities to apply for admission. Rankings of universities serve as benchmarks for improvement or standards to improve universities’ position concerning other institutions.

Finally, it provides valuable data for research and analysis, to analyse trends over time, correlations between various factors, or the impact of policies on rankings.

No Nigerian university made the top 10 list in Africa in the current THE ranking. While South Africa has eight, Egypt and Ghana have one each. How can we make Nigerian universities globally competitive and relevant?
Nigerian universities can enhance their global competitiveness and relevance, contribute to national development, and effectively address society’s needs through multi-faceted approaches involving various stakeholders, including the government, universities, industry partners, and the broader community.

In this respect, massive injection of funding and investment in infrastructure, technology, laboratories, libraries, and research facilities are essential for improving the quality of education and research output.

As a major stakeholder, the government needs to work with the universities to encourage a culture of research and innovation by providing funding, incentives, and support for research endeavours to stimulate innovation and relevance.

The TETFund support is a giant leap in the right direction. The fund is helping but needs to do more through focused funding support to facilitate modern infrastructure and technology, including high-speed internet, laboratories, and digital learning resources to enhance Nigerian universities’ teaching, learning, and research capabilities.

On academic staff development, governments and universities must invest in their professional development through training, workshops, and international collaborations. Professors’ and other academic staff’s salaries must be addressed holistically. This is necessary to attract and retain top talents. Competitive salaries and benefits are crucial to reducing brain drain and loss.

Another way to make Nigerian universities globally competitive and relevant involves regular curriculum review and updates to ensure its alignment with global standards to address current and future challenges. This way, commending the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the new Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) launched in 2023 is important. The CCMAS incorporates practical, hands-on learning experiences and interdisciplinary approaches to improve teaching and learning experiences in our universities.

In addition, Nigerian universities need to foster active international collaborations, partnerships, and exchange programmes to expose students and staff to diverse perspectives, experiences, and research opportunities. This will not merely enhance global visibility; it will improve their reputation as international educational destinations and partners.

Besides, there is a need to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation among students and academic staff by promoting and supporting start-up incubators and technology transfer between the industry and universities through partnerships and engagements, to facilitate knowledge transfer and commercialisation of research.

There is also the need for government support and policy reforms that prioritise education, research, and innovation as key drivers of national development through allocating sufficient funding to the sector and implementing reforms to improve higher education institutions’ governance, accountability, and transparency.