The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has announced a reduction in the fees charged for textbook assessment and ranking, directing that publishers who previously paid the old rates be refunded the excess.
The review is part of efforts to reduce the financial burden on publishers as the Federal Government prepares to implement the National Textbook Ranking System.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Professor Salisu Shehu, said the council had reduced the textbook assessment fee from ₦2,000 to ₦1,500 per page, while the ranking fee for each textbook title had been lowered from ₦1 million to ₦750,000.
He explained that the revised charges take immediate effect and are intended to encourage wider participation by publishers and authors in the new national textbook evaluation process.
Professor Shehu also announced that publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee would be refunded the difference.
According to him, the council will soon provide details on the refund process for affected publishers.
NERDC urged publishers and authors submitting textbooks for evaluation to adopt the new payment structure immediately and comply with the revised guidelines.
The fee reduction comes ahead of the Federal Government’s rollout of the National Textbook Ranking System, a policy introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality of learning materials used in schools across the country.
Under the new policy, which is expected to take effect in September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be recommended for use in Nigerian classrooms. Books that do not undergo the ranking process will no longer be approved for use in schools.
The Federal Ministry of Education said the initiative is designed to eliminate substandard instructional materials and ensure that schools use textbooks that meet national curriculum standards and quality requirements.
Although NERDC will continue to perform its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, the council explained that approval alone will no longer qualify a textbook for classroom use. Every approved title will now undergo a comprehensive national assessment and ranking before receiving final recommendation.
The National Textbook Ranking System forms part of the Federal Government’s broader education reform agenda aimed at strengthening quality assurance in educational publishing and improving learning outcomes in Nigeria’s basic and secondary education sectors.
He explained that the revised charges take immediate effect and are intended to encourage wider participation by publishers and authors in the new national textbook evaluation process.
Professor Shehu also announced that publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee would be refunded the difference.
According to him, the council will soon provide details on the refund process for affected publishers.
NERDC urged publishers and authors submitting textbooks for evaluation to adopt the new payment structure immediately and comply with the revised guidelines.
The fee reduction comes ahead of the Federal Government’s rollout of the National Textbook Ranking System, a policy introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality of learning materials used in schools across the country.
Under the new policy, which is expected to take effect in September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be recommended for use in Nigerian classrooms. Books that do not undergo the ranking process will no longer be approved for use in schools.
The Federal Ministry of Education said the initiative is designed to eliminate substandard instructional materials and ensure that schools use textbooks that meet national curriculum standards and quality requirements.
Although NERDC will continue to perform its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, the council explained that approval alone will no longer qualify a textbook for classroom use. Every approved title will now undergo a comprehensive national assessment and ranking before receiving final recommendation.
The National Textbook Ranking System forms part of the Federal Government’s broader education reform agenda aimed at strengthening quality assurance in educational publishing and improving learning outcomes in Nigeria’s basic and secondary education sectors.
