Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Government has approved a downward review of fees for the assessment and ranking of textbooks, directing that publishers who had already paid the previous higher charges be refunded. The decision, announced on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, is aimed at easing the financial burden on publishers and authors ahead of the full implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System, a major education reform scheduled to take effect from September 2026.
The Executive Secretary of NERDC, Professor Salisu Shehu, announced the revised fee structure in a statement released in Abuja. Under the new directive, the textbook assessment fee has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been cut from N1 million to N750,000 per textbook title. The revised charges take immediate effect and apply to all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment and ranking under the new national framework. Professor Shehu also disclosed that publishers who had already paid the former assessment fee of N2,000 per page would receive refunds for the excess payments, with the procedure for processing the refunds to be announced soon. The Council urged all stakeholders in the publishing industry to comply with the new fee structure.
The fee reduction comes in response to concerns raised by stakeholders in the publishing industry over the high cost of the new assessment regime, with fears that the increased fees would drive up the price of textbooks and place additional financial pressure on publishers. The move is expected to encourage wider participation in the textbook evaluation process and help keep educational materials affordable for schools, students, and parents. The policy reversal follows engagements between the Federal Ministry of Education and key stakeholders, reflecting the government's commitment to balancing quality assurance in textbook approval with the need to support Nigeria's education and publishing sectors.
The National Textbook Ranking System, introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, is designed to tackle the proliferation of substandard textbooks and ensure that learners and teachers have access only to high-quality, curriculum-compliant instructional materials. Under the policy, which takes effect from September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved, and ranked by NERDC will be authorised for classroom use nationwide, while unranked textbooks will no longer be permitted in schools. The minister explained that although NERDC would continue to carry out its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, approval alone would no longer be sufficient, as every approved title would undergo a rigorous national evaluation and ranking by expert committees before being recommended for use in schools.
The National Textbook Ranking System is one of the key education reforms being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education under the Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen quality assurance in basic and secondary education. The ministry has also rolled out nationwide learning assessments, revived abandoned Unity College e-libraries, expanded digital learning infrastructure, and introduced measures to tackle learning poverty, which the government estimates affects about 42 million Nigerian children. Officials say the textbook ranking policy is expected to improve quality assurance in educational publishing, encourage excellence among publishers, and ensure that only the highest-quality instructional materials are used in classrooms across the country.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments