The Federal Government has inaugurated a high-powered committee to reform the ranking and selection of textbooks used in Nigerian schools, aiming to improve quality, standardisation, and affordability for learners and parents.
The move comes amid longstanding concerns that the current approval system has allowed substandard educational materials to proliferate, while also placing excessive financial burdens on families.
Some subjects, for instance, reportedly have up to 50 approved textbooks, yet there is no clear benchmark to distinguish the quality of instructional materials.
Speaking at the ceremony in Abuja on Monday, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stressed that the existing framework failed to rank or evaluate textbooks adequately before approval.
He highlighted that many publishers bundle consumable workbooks and materials with core textbooks, forcing parents to purchase new sets annually.
“The absence of a robust ranking structure has allowed textbooks of minimal pedagogical value to be approved alongside high-quality resources,” Dr. Alausa said.
“This committee has a timely and strategic assignment: to review the current approval frameworks, recommend stronger assessment instruments, define enforceable quality benchmarks, and ensure genuine content improvement before new editions are approved.”
According to the minister, the committee will establish a cap on the number of ranked textbooks per subject, ensuring transparency and objectivity in selection.
While regulatory agencies may approve multiple books for use, only seven textbooks per subject will be officially ranked for adoption by schools, particularly under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) framework.
Alausa further explained that ranked textbooks would remain in circulation for a minimum of three years, unless substantial curriculum or technological changes necessitate revisions.
The committee will also address pricing transparency, edition control, and the separation of textbooks from consumable workbooks, protecting learners and parents from exploitative practices.
The committee will be chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and includes heads of key educational agencies such as NERDC, UBEC, the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC).
At the inauguration, Professor Ahmad pledged the committee’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerian learners have access to high-quality, standardised textbooks, stating:
“Currently, textbooks are approved as long as they meet minimum standards, with no benchmark to determine whether they are of grade A, B, or C quality. Our mandate is to change that.”
NERDC Executive Secretary, Professor Salisu Shehu, commended the initiative, describing it as a necessary step to end the arbitrary selection of textbooks and guarantee that only the best instructional materials are adopted nationwide.
The federal government’s initiative signals a renewed focus on education policy reform, targeting both the academic quality of teaching materials and the financial relief of parents, ensuring that Nigerian learners receive learning resources that meet global standards.
