JUST IN: FG cuts textbook assessment fees, orders refunds for publishers

Nigeria's education sector is set to implement a new National Textbook Ranking System, aiming to improve the quality of instructional materials. As part of this reform, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has announced a reduction in the fees associated with textbook assessment and ranking.

The assessment fee has been lowered from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, and the ranking fee has been reviewed from N1 million to N750,000 per textbook title. These revised charges are effective immediately. The council has also committed to refunding publishers who already paid the previous, higher fees, with procedures for these refunds to be announced soon.

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Publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee of N2,000 per page will receive refunds of the excess payment, while the procedure for processing the refunds will be announced soon.

This initiative is a key component of the Federal Ministry of Education's "Renewed Hope Agenda" to enhance basic and secondary education. The National Textbook Ranking System, introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, will require all textbooks used in schools to be assessed, approved, and ranked by NERDC starting September 2026. Unranked textbooks will be prohibited.

Minister Alausa stated that the policy aims to combat the proliferation of substandard textbooks and ensure students and teachers access only high-quality, curriculum-compliant learning materials. He emphasized that while NERDC's approval remains statutory, a rigorous national evaluation and ranking by expert committees will now precede a textbook's recommendation for school use.

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The policy was designed to tackle the proliferation of substandard textbooks and ensure that learners and teachers have access only to high-quality, curriculum-compliant learning materials.