Jonathan decries poor ranking of Nigerian Universities

In a speech  read on President Jonathan’s behalf by the Education Minister, Prof Ruqqayatu Rufai, at the 41st convocation of University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, the President on Saturday decried the poor ranking of Nigerian universities in Africa and in the world.

According to Jonathan, the recent rankings which indicated that;

“No Nigerian University is among the top 10 providers of tertiary institutions in Africa, not to mention globally” was unacceptable.

The President charged the universities to lead in fresh thinking that would align their curricula with modern reality to produce graduates with an entrepreneurial mind- set.

He stated that older universities, especially the University of Nigeria (UNN), must make serious and sincere efforts to change the situation.

He acknowledged that;

“Nigeria cannot be a great nation on the back of poorly trained youth. It is for this reason that the transformation of our nation must start in the classrooms”.

Jonathan said the transformation programme of the Federal Government mirrored the values of the founding fathers of the University of Nigeria now in its 52nd year.

“There is no doubt that the University has been a transformational force in the evolution of our country. The Founding Father’s vision was for a united, strong and prosperous Nigeria. These values underline our present transformation initiatives,”

He asked the UNN to “spearhead the design of new programmes to inculcate values of dedication to work and entrepreneurship in your students.”

“The University of Nigeria should lead because of its age, quality of staff and students and its achievements in research and community service. The various international linkages and the recent UNESCO recognition of the University as a biotechnology centre should help elevate your ranking in the near future.”

Jonathan restated the commitment of the Federal Government under his administration to

“bringing about the desired transformation in the country and the education sector”

because of his belief that

“a sound education system is key to the transformation of Nigeria’s economy to make it competitive.”

15 COMMENTS

  1. Very funny speech.considering the fact that Asuu has bin on strike 4 more dan a month.I have a 50yr old lecturer and at presnt I can hardly understand what he says.now dat d retirement age is 70.hw am I supposed to pass if I cannot understand…in other News..d university of ibadan. Asuu chapter has rejected d offer made by Fg concernin d strike..it doesn’t look lyk dere will b a solution soon.

  2. Mr president, I dont think we can be ranked as the 10 top providers of tertiary education in Africa, let alone globally. this is because one of the major problems has not been solved which is the issue of the ASUU strike. Sir, the on-going strike is going to the third month and we have so many students seating at home doing nothing, it affects us psychologically. this was the same issue that happened in 2009. i suggest that the issue of ASUU, NASU even SSANU going on strike for every little thing should be stopped because students spend more than the years that they are supposed to spend for a particular course. we need to start somewhere first then when this stops, we can now start talking about ranking. first things first. thank you Sir..

  3. IS HIGH TIME NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF HIGHER LEARNING INVITED THOSE WHO ARE ACCESSING NIGERIA INSTITUTE OF HIGHER LEARNING WITH THEIR PRIVATE IDEAS , TO PLEASE COMPETE WITH NIGERIAN STUDENTS BEFORE THEIR CASTIGATIONS.!!. THEY SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT CLASSROOM IS THE MEETING POINT.,… ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS THE MEDIOCRES, SO THEY ARE CALLED HAVE BEEN ACCESSING WHAT THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT INSIDE THEIR ROOMS AND USING INFORMATION NIGERIA AS A MEANS OF THEIR DIABOLICAL COMMUNICATION. NIGERIA INSTITUE OF HIGHER LEARNING IS SEIZING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE THEM TO THEIR CLASSROOM AND DEFEND THE ECONOMIC FACTORS WHICH MAKE EURO STRONG IN GERMANY AND OTHER RECENTLY INTRODUCED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ( NEW EUROPEANS COUNTRIES)…. BESIDES NIGERIA ACADEMIC WILL LIKE THOSE WHO ARE ACCESSING THE INSTITUTE OF HIGHER LEARNING TO PLEASE ENLIGHT US OBJECTIVELY , WITHOUT THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA WHAT THEY THINK ARE THE ECONOMIC FACTORS ACADEMICALLY SPEAKING , NEEDED IN NIGERIA TO ENHANCE THE VALUE OF NIGERIA CURRENCY . APPART FROM DIRTY INTERNATIONAL POLITICS. NIGERIAN STUDENTS ARE KNOWLEDGABLE ENOUGH TO COPE WITH BOTH HOME AND INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC CHALLENGES. PLEASE THOSE WHO ARE NOT SURE OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING SHOULD PLEASE STOP RELIGATING OTHERS WHO KNIOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. EVEN IF WE DECIDE TO HIDE OURSELVES IN A PLACE THE QUALITY IN US WILL ALWAYS SPEAK OUT IN ALL ACADEMIC ARENA , BOTH ON NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. THEY SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT THERE ARE SOME ADVANCED COUNTRIES SO TO SAY WHO ARE HAVING THEIR UNIVERSITY IN NIGERIA . PERMIT ME TO ASK THEM THIS NOBLE QUESTION; HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA STUDENTS IN YOUR UNIVERSITY??? SO THOSE WHO ARE SPITTING AGAINST ACADEMIC SHOULD PLEASE CLOSE THEIR MOUTH . THEY NEED TO BE SCOLDED !!!

  4. Having read through this speech, I only have one conclusion: A useless speech, ‘prepared’ by(for) an equal senseless president and delivered by an idiot. You guys can forgive me by my use of strong language but it is time enough we address issues the way they are supposed to be. Let us start by asking ourselves this basic and an almost fundamental question: How many of them (president, senators, members of the house of Rep, ministers, Govs etc) have their children in Nigeria Universities? The day we can answer this question is the day we have the answer to what is happening to our educational system in Nigeria.