The Federal Government has unveiled fifty (50) locally-written textbooks aimed at addressing the critical shortage of high-quality academic resources in Nigerian universities and colleges.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), under the Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project.
The 50 books, authored by Nigerian scholars, were presented to the public by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Speaking at the unveiling of the books, the Minister said Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions had overtime became dependent on books published outside the country, with the attendant consequences of the pressure on the demand for foreign exchange.
Dr Alausa also expressed worry that the quality of most academic publications in the country leaves much to be desired, saying that nurturing the culture of quality authorship and the production of indigenous books will not only ensure the availability of relevant books but will also safeguard national pride and reduce the demand for foreign exchange.
“Scarcity of tertiary-level texts in Nigeria has reached a crisis proportion as evident not only in the quality of books available but also in the quantity of books produced locally. The need to tackle this crisis head-on resulted in the establishment of TETFund’s Higher Education Book Development Project.
“Teaching and research depend on relevant instructional materials such as published books and journals, monographs, and other specialised reading materials as well as e-publishing of books and journals,” he noted.
He added that the government is giving more attention to publication through TETFund in a bid to provide adequate indigenous learning materials in tertiary institutions.
Alausa reiterated the administration of President Bola Tinubu’s recognition of the place of education as the main driver of national growth, hence the commitment in funding and policy reprioritisation towards content development and capacity building for the staff of Public Tertiary Education Institutions.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, identified insufficient high-quality tertiary-level textbooks in Nigeria as reasons for the initiative.
“This crisis prompted the establishment of the TETFund Higher Education Book Development Project, a bold and visionary initiative aimed at addressing this significant gap. To ensure that this initiative was effectively implemented, the Board of Trustees of TETFund took a crucial step in 2009 by setting up the Technical Advisory Group (TAG).
“Members of TAG consist of academic experts drawn from the six geopolitical zones, representatives of academic unions (ASUU, ASUP, and COAESU), as well as representatives of three Regulatory Bodies (NUC, NBTE, and NCC),” Arc. Echono said.
He disclosed that over 130 manuscripts have passed through rigorous review processes and been published as textbooks, with more manuscripts currently under review.
“Following the reconstitution of the Technical Advisory Group Committee upon my assumption of duty as Executive Secretary in 2022, tremendous achievements were made, including the production and public presentation of eighty (80) titles of TETFund Sponsored Books in various subjects for tertiary educational institutions,” he said.
He noted that the TAG Committee was reconstituted in June 2024, and based on the fresh target set, a total of ninety-seven (97) manuscripts were reviewed, scrutinised, and recommended for publication. Out of these, fifty (50) manuscripts have been published and are now here with us for public presentation.
“Another sixty (60) books are scheduled for unveiling before the end of 2025. It is important to also note that, in our efforts to ensure value for money, authors will now receive monetary compensation based on the number of pages in their books instead of 1,000 copies of their books being given to them,” he added.
For his part, Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group for TETFund on Academic Book Publication and Professional Journal Funding, Professor Albert Abegunde said the books were all aimed at promoting literacy, preserving culture, expanding technology, encouraging entrepreneurship, fostering research and innovation to build generations.
He said the books consist of 5 on Medicine and Pharmacy, 11 on Art, Culture and Literature; 2 on Law, 6 on Technology and Engineering; 2 on Mathematics, 7 on Agriculture and Environment, 5 on Economics and Management, 1 on Entrepreneurship and Vocational Studies, 3 on Statistics and Research Methods, 7 on Education and General Literacy, and 1 on Security.
Adding, he noted that TAG has cleared about 50 more manuscripts for publication, and that TETFund has sent some of them to publishing houses.
In addition, he said close to 30 manuscripts will be added to this number in the next TAG meeting, while a similar number of manuscripts were undergoing rigorous peer review.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of TETFund, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari said highlighted the commitment of President Tinubu in ensuring that the education sector is accorded top priority.
He expressed gladness that the Fund has consistently discharged its obligations with integrity, transparency, and in total compliance with the extant rules and regulations by the Federal Government.
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