Rank corruption

Do we need to rank the country's institutions of higher learning? If so, what kind of authority has the credentials to do the job and what criterion does it have to assess the quality of a university?

Both questions are important because they decide whether the rankings can be trusted.

However, the pay-to-play scandal this week reveals a dubious nexus between a university and the panel to carry out such rankings, raising questions about the need and credentials for the exercise.