The argument among Nigerian university students and administrators on whose school is best is sacrificed on the altar of the bi-annual (July and January) webometrics ranking – a ranking used to access over 19,000 universities worldwide. This ranking is used by government cronies as a weapon to completely destroy any talk of a dying educational sector.

First and foremost, I want to salute the rankings which is a good innovation and is working in line with its mission. It has succeeded in fulfilling its objectives which majorly includes global sharing of knowledge and strong online presence of published peer-reviewed articles from reputable academic journals. African universities have risen to the challenge of the spinning ICT age having two representatives in the top 500 as at the July 2015 ranking both from South Africa and six in the top 1000; five from South Africa and the other from Egypt.

Nigerian Universities have emphasized the need for a proof of published papers online from their staff before promotion is given which has reduced the manufacturing of fake publications and in turn enhanced the quality of research work produced by lecturers in the country thereby boosting their places on the list.

Though, still not practiced fully, most universities are putting published works of their staff on the institution’s website.

But that’s where it stops!

Cybermetrics Lab in Spain where webometrics rankings are processed give us a clear warning that students in need of admission should know that “Webometrics ranking correlates well with quality of education provided and academic prestige, but other non-academic variables need to be taken into account (by such student)”.

 Now, other variables which their rankings don’t take into consideration accounts for two out of the three major aims of universities globally which include; teaching, research and transfer. These variables are “teaching” and “transfer” which for developing countries like Nigeria forms the bedrock of anything relating to the education sector.

The education sector in Nigeria is largely theoretical. Most published articles from these climes are untested and not practical; they are purely book-work. If it were not to be so, with all the professors we have in the country we are still lacking a whole lot of basic things to move the country forward.

We can scream corruption all day but when all we have to build the country is a heap of theories, we’ll continuing failing. Most of the academic conferences are just time to socialize and share theoretical information; little of which is put into use thereafter.

Now back to the rankings. Looking at the “teaching” and “transfer” variables and how far Nigeria is performing on that index is not too hard to judge. Ask any average university student in Nigeria (with a good grade and a not-too-good grade) to access the system. They’ll all come to one lugubrious agreement –  that the education system is a working corpse.

 

While the students argue on online social media platforms and the universities celebrate and throw parties over the rankings, the university system, like a non-biodegradable waste, is slowly broken down. Some even still refer to moments they had the highest rank years after it has passed.

These rankings don’t address the cramped lecture halls, unmaintained hostel accommodations, high student to lecturer ratio, ratio of first class students to the total number of graduating students, victimization of students by the lecturers, decaying infrastructures as a result of ageing, lecturers without knowledge of teaching skills whatsoever who rely on textbooks/handouts to do the teaching for them and not their physical presence in lectures et al.

All schools in Nigeria represented in this ranking – even the best of the best are plagued by almost all these. Obafemi Awolowo University who consistently lead these ranking is best known in Nigeria as the “striking school”.

The school is constantly scourged by strike actions by the students who persistently fight for their rights. Universities of Ibadan, Nsukka, Lagos, Port-Harcourt etcetera are not left behind in this. With Nigeria saturated with federal universities due to its lack of tuition fees making it affordable to almost everybody, much work needs to be done by the government to raise its standard.

It’s sad to note that if these variables are used as an index for the ranking, most, if not all Nigerian universities will not be found on such list. Instead of the education ministry joining in the celebration of the webometrics rankings (and other ones like 4icu which the universities fall to if it favours them), they should institute the country’s indigenous ranking whose index is specific to what is required of the nation in order to raise the bar.

Schools should be visited physically by eye-witnesses and questionnaires handed to students randomly in order to get the right gauge of our universities.  This could be carried out once in two years in order for the universities to reflect on the result of the rankings and make necessary adjustments before next ranking cycle.

As the universities use the online rankings to boast, so will they use the indigenous rankings since it’s a proper reflection of everything. This will increase competitiveness among the schools and enhance a proper education system to compete with the world.

***********************************

Ayo-Oluwa Obafemi blogs at www.quietparrot.wordpress.com and tweets @quietparrott

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.