The Federal Government has reduced the fees payable for textbook assessment and ranking, with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council directing that publishers who paid the previous higher charges be refunded.
The reduction was announced by the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Professor Salisu Shehu, in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.
Under the new fee structure, the cost of textbook assessment has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee for each textbook title has been cut from N1 million to N750,000.
Shehu said the revised charges took immediate effect and were introduced to ease the financial burden on publishers and authors participating in the Federal Government’s new textbook evaluation and ranking process.
The NERDC boss also said publishers who had already paid the former assessment rate would be refunded the difference.
“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,” he said.
He directed publishers and authors submitting textbooks for evaluation to make payments according to the new rates with immediate effect.
The council urged stakeholders in the publishing industry to comply with the revised fee structure as preparations intensify for the implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System.
The policy, scheduled to commence in September 2026, is aimed at improving the quality of instructional materials available to learners in Nigerian schools.
Under the new system, only textbooks assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be eligible for use in schools, while textbooks that fail to undergo the ranking process will not be permitted for classroom instruction.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, had said the reform was introduced to address the circulation of substandard textbooks and ensure that students and teachers have access to quality materials that align with the approved curriculum.
Alausa explained that although NERDC would retain its statutory responsibility for textbook approval, approval would no longer be the final stage in the process.
He said every approved textbook would also be subjected to a comprehensive national assessment and ranking by panels of experts before being recommended for use in schools.
The National Textbook Ranking System forms part of the Federal Ministry of Education’s broader reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to improve the standard of basic and secondary education.
The government has also introduced nationwide learning assessments, expanded digital learning infrastructure and taken steps to improve access to educational resources as part of efforts to tackle learning poverty in the country.
Officials said the new ranking system would strengthen quality assurance in the education sector, encourage higher standards among publishers and ensure that only quality and curriculum-compliant instructional materials are used in Nigerian classrooms.
