The Federal Government has reduced the fees charged for the assessment and ranking of textbooks as it prepares to begin the National Textbook Ranking Policy in September 2026.
The move is expected to reduce costs for publishers and authors while helping them meet the requirements of the new system that will regulate the quality of textbooks used in Nigerian schools.
The decision was announced through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) as part of efforts to support the rollout of the policy introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
The policy is aimed at improving the quality of learning materials and ensuring that textbooks used in schools meet approved standards.
NERDC Executive Secretary, Prof. Salisu Shehu, said the assessment fee has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page.
He also announced that the ranking fee for each textbook title has been lowered from N1 million to N750,000.
According to him, the new fees take effect immediately and apply to all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment and ranking under the policy.
He added that publishers who had already paid the former assessment fee of N2,000 per page would receive refunds for the extra amount paid.
He said details on how the refunds would be processed would be made available later.
Prof. Shehu called on publishers and other stakeholders in the education sector to comply with the revised fees and the new policy.
He explained that from September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be allowed for use in Nigerian classrooms.
Any textbook that does not pass through the ranking process will no longer be accepted for use in schools.
The Minister of Education said the policy was introduced to address the growing number of textbooks in circulation and ensure that schools, teachers and students use learning materials that meet the national curriculum and required standards.
He explained that although NERDC will continue to approve textbooks for use in schools as required by law, approval alone will no longer qualify a book for classroom use under the new policy.
Instead, every approved textbook will go through a nationwide evaluation and ranking process conducted by expert committees.
The process will determine which books are most suitable for each subject and level of education.
The minister expressed confidence that the National Textbook Ranking Policy would improve quality control in the education sector and provide schools, teachers and parents with better guidance when selecting textbooks for teaching and learning.
