Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Prof. Charles Okechukwu Esimone, has welcomed the recent Ranking by the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit New York which placed UNIZIK at 10th position in Nigeria.
According to Esimone, the University deserves a far better placement, if it had the opportunity to present all basic parameters that were required for the ranking.
Recall that the Chairman of the Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee (NURAC), Prof. Emeritus Peter Okebukola broke the news of the ranking in Abuja when he returned from the summit.
According to Okebukola, at least twelve Nigerian universities, with UNIZIK not on the list, showed remarkable improvement in world rankings and were applauded at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit which ended in New York on October 12.
The ranking released by the Times Higher Education, has two Nigerian universities in the 401 to 500 band.
However, Esimone whose ambition was to achieve number one position in Nigeria and at least 200 position for UNIZIK in the world, said the strike action by members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) played a major role in its lower ranking because basic parameters for the exercise were not completed.
“We didn’t reach the optimum. We would have been about sixth or seventh because I was doing what is required strategically with the supply of information. What we achieved was just a work of faith. The basic parameters, about four of them, were not completed, including data about student distribution.
“The strike action did not allow the staff to provide the data needed. We thank God all the same. With about four parameters, we would have put in place to showcase what we have done”, he said.
The NURAC was set up by the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed to mobilise Nigerian universities for and catalyse their participation in all global ranking schemes.
Over the last 12 months, NURAC has been working with all universities and building capacities to ensure the actualisation of this mandate.
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