The Federal Government has approved a reduction in the fees charged for the assessment and ranking of textbooks as part of measures to ease pressure on publishers and authors ahead of the implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System.
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) announced the adjustment in a statement issued by its Executive Secretary, Professor Salisu Shehu, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Under the new arrangement, the cost of assessing textbooks has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee for each textbook title has been reviewed downward from N1 million to N750,000.
NERDC said the revised charges take immediate effect, directing publishers and authors submitting materials for evaluation to comply with the new rates.
The council also disclosed that publishers who had already paid the former assessment charges would be refunded the difference, with details of the refund process to be communicated later.
The fee reduction comes ahead of the Federal Government’s National Textbook Ranking System, scheduled to commence in September 2026.
Under the new policy, only textbooks that have undergone assessment, approval, and ranking by NERDC will be allowed for use in Nigerian classrooms, while materials that fail to meet the requirements will no longer be permitted.
The initiative, introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, is aimed at improving the quality of learning materials available to students and reducing the widespread use of textbooks that do not align with approved curricula.
The government explained that textbook approval by NERDC would no longer be the only requirement, as approved books would now undergo a further evaluation process to determine their quality and suitability for different subjects and educational levels.
NERDC said the ranking exercise would involve expert committees responsible for identifying textbooks that meet national education standards and provide better support for teachers and learners.
