- But Our University Education System is in Dire Straits
The ranking of universities worldwide and nationally has always generated controversy every year and for good reason – everyone thinks his university is the best or deserves top-ranking positions.
Some think that western countries like the United States and the United Kingdom always want to impose themselves on others in every sphere possible. They have good reasons to think so.
For instance, 13 of the Top 20 ranked universities in the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Ranking are in the United States.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an annual ranking of the world’s top universities, established in 2004. It evaluates universities based on various criteria, including teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, often referred to as The Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the Times Higher Education magazine. Its first issue was in 2004 – that is 20 years ago.
The publication includes global rankings of universities, including by subject and reputation. It also has begun publishing three regional tables for universities in Asia, Latin America, and BRICS and emerging economies, which are ranked with separate criteria and weightings.
The Ranking is often considered one of the most widely observed university rankings together with the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the QS World University Rankings. It has been praised for having a new, improved ranking methodology since 2010, but criticism and concerns have been voiced that this methodology underestimates non-science and non-English instructing institutions and relies on a subjective reputation survey.
Leading the new and current 2025 ranking are the usual suspects.
- University of Oxford
- Massachusetts Institute of Tech
- Harvard University
- Princeton University
- University of Cambridge
- Stanford University
- California Institute of Technology
- University of California, Berkeley
- Imperial College London
- Yale University
- ETH Zurich
- Tsinghua University
- Peking University
- The University of Chicago
- University of Pennsylvania
- Johns Hopkins University
- National University of Singapore
- Columbia University
- University of California, LA
- Cornell University
For Nigerian universities, the rankings for 2025 have identified Covenant University as Nigeria’s overall best university. This was the same position for 2024.
But it seems Covenant is more than just best ranked overall among universities in Nigeria. It is also best best-ranked private university in Nigeria and is the only one that made the list of the Top 1,000 universities globally, arranged as Category 801 to 1000.
The latest ranking shows the best-ranked Federal University to be Ahmadu Bello University while the best ranked State University is Ekiti State University.
The first 20 Nigerian universities as ranked by THE are:
- Covenant University
- Ahmadu Bello University
- Landmark University
- University of Ibadan
- University of Lagos
- Bayero University Kano
- Federal University of Technology, Akure
- Federal University of Technology, Minna
- University of Benin
- University of Ilorin
- University of Nigeria, Nsukka
- Ekiti State University
- Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
- Federal University of Technology, Owerri
- Federal University Oye-Ekiti
- Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
- Lagos State University
- Nnamdi Azikiwe University
- Obafemi Awolowo University
- University of Port Harcourt
There is a major change from the last THE ranking positions from Number 2 which was occupied then by the University of Ibadan, while FUT Akure was 3rd and University of Lagos was 4th.
Alumni of different universities have been discussing, online mostly, why their alma mater is not at the top of the list. But even some of them know the reasons — which are multifarious.
University education in Nigeria faces several challenges that impact its effectiveness and accessibility.
Many Nigerian public universities struggle with inadequate government funding, which leads to insufficient infrastructure, poor facilities, and low salaries for academic staff. This often affects the quality of education and research output. Also, prolonged strikes by academic staff unions, such as ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities), disrupt academic calendars and delay graduations, adversely affecting students’ education and career plans.
In terms of numbers, many universities are overcrowded due to increased admissions without corresponding improvements in facilities and resources. This leads to larger class sizes, which can diminish the quality of education and individual student attention. Many students attend classes standing in the corridors or verandas of classrooms because there is no space for them.
Also, the quality of education is often compromised by outdated curricula, insufficient teaching materials, and a lack of emphasis on research and practical skills relevant to the job market. There is a high level of corruption in the higher education sector which leads to the misallocation of funds and resources, negatively impacting the learning environment and overall institutional integrity. Many lecturers have been caught ‘pants down’ suing their positions to demand sex or money from students before giving them good grades.
Looking ahead to post-graduation, there is a significant gap between the skills learned in universities and those required by employers. This results in high levels of unemployment among graduates despite the increasing number of degree holders.
Addressing these challenges requires comprehensive reforms, increased investment in education, and collaboration among government, academic institutions, and other stakeholders.
So, for those complaining that their alma mater should get a better ranking annually, what have they done to solve the problems in the universities? Many of them are culpable and are sometimes part of the problems that they are complaining about.
