Federal Govt Unveils National Textbook Ranking System For Schools

The federal government has introduced a National Textbook Ranking System for primary, junior and senior secondary schools nationwide, as part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen quality assurance and standardisation in the education sector.

The initiative, according to a press statement by Boriowo Folasade, director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, is designed to address the growing proliferation of textbooks in schools and ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-compliant learning materials are approved for classroom use.

She said this was disclosed by the minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, alongside the minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaba Sai’d Ahmad, who stated that under the new system, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) would continue to exercise its statutory authority to approve textbooks for use in Nigerian schools.

“However, beyond approval, textbooks will now be ranked through a structured national evaluation process to determine the most suitable and highest-quality options for each subject and level of education.

“As part of the reform, NERDC will establish Standing Subject Committees comprising experts in relevant subject areas.

These committees will conduct rigorous reviews of textbooks submitted by publishers and evaluate them based on clearly defined academic and pedagogical standards.

“Following this evaluation process, only a limited number of textbooks will be ranked and approved for use in schools for each subject, ensuring improved quality control and consistency in teaching and learning materials across the country,” the statement said.

Folasade explained that the introduction of the ranking system is expected to reduce the excessive number of textbooks currently in circulation in many schools, which has often created confusion for teachers, students and parents.

“The reform also aims to bring greater transparency, order and quality assurance into the textbook approval process, while aligning Nigeria’s education system with international best practices in instructional material standardization,” she said.

Boriowo also noted that under the new policy, NERDC will continue its responsibility for licensing textbooks; however, any textbook not ranked under the new system will not be permitted for use in Nigerian schools, regardless of prior licensing status.

The government said it will communicate the new ranking policy to teachers and other key stakeholders to ensure proper awareness and compliance with the new framework.

The implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System will commence from the September 2026 academic session, following the establishment of the Standing Subject Committees and completion of the evaluation framework.