The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has celebrated its new ranking as the fourth best university in Nigeria by Webometric, a reputable international ranking organisation.
The Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, who announced the development at the weekend said the school under his administration had continued to make steady progress from its last 5th position to its new rank.
Georgewill noted that based on the criteria for the ranking, the institution topped other universities on openness, transparency and excellence.
He attributed the recent position to the collaborative efforts of the management team and other stakeholders adding that they would not rest until the school became the first in the country.
He said: “This is a kind of global ranking that consist of some parameters. And if you look at the current result, the indexes on openness, as in being known by people that the university exists, the University of Port Harcourt ranks number first, although we are number four overall but if you look at the indexes, on openness, it ranks number one higher than the university that took overall first.
“Also, the index of excellence, we are still number one. But we have a challenge on impact. We are a bit low on impact. Therefore, going forward, this university will do all it can to make sure we improve on our impact rating.
“This university, since we came onboard has focused on reason the university was established, which are teaching and learning, research, community service and entrepreneurship.”
Georgewill dismissed claims from some quarters that the school had withheld the graduation list of over 2000 students, stopping them from proceeding for their compulsory National Youth Service.
The VC insisted that the institution was not withholding anybody’s results and asked persons claiming to have genuine cases to approach their different departments to check their results.
He said: “In the past three days, some students have been talking about 2000 students on a graduating list that had not been released. There is no such list. There is no awaiting list anywhere.
“This administration ensures that every result that is ready, the Vice-Chancellor, executively, approves that result and wait for the Senate for ratification. So, there is no result anywhere because the VC is there to approve every result.
“I have interacted with some of them even on social media and I have told them to go to their departments. I asked one of the students if she had seen her spreadsheet or her Cumulative Grade Point (CGP) and she said she had not seen it. So I asked how did she know she had finished the programme, and said her course adviser told her that she had graduated.
“Any student, who has issues, please go to your department. Ask for your spreadsheet. A spreadsheet is the total summary of what one had done in one’s course programme. Bring the spreadsheet to the VC. If you said you have finished, go and get your spreadsheet, bring it to me.
“And I have also told the students that if they have any challenge in getting their spreadsheet, when you are in the department call me and I will come and you until you do that, you cannot go to the public and say they have graduated and they are holding your result.
“The issue is that some students have not gone to their departments to even see whether they are owing courses or not.”
Other officials of the university such as the DVC, Administration, Prof. Clifford Ofurum; DVC Academics, Prof. Kingsley Owete; DVC Research and Development, Prof. Siminialayi; Registrar, Dr. Gloria Chindah; Bursar, Felicia Ayuwo and the Librarian, Dr. Helen Emajealu spoke on their various contributions to UNIPORT’s new ranking.
