JUST IN: Federal Government Cuts Textbook Assessment Fees, Orders Refunds For Publishers

The federal government has reduced the cost of textbook assessment and ranking under the National Textbook Ranking System and directed that publishers who paid the previous, higher assessment fees be refunded.

The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council announced the decision in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Prof. Salisu Shehu, on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the revised fees take immediate effect and are aimed at easing the financial burden on publishers and authors ahead of the full implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System.

Under the new rates, the assessment fee has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been lowered from N1 million to N750,000 per textbook title.

“The assessment fee has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been reviewed downward from N1 million to N750,000 per textbook title,” the statement read.

Prof. Shehu also announced that publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee would be reimbursed for the excess amount.

“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,” the statement added.

The Council further directed that all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment should immediately comply with the revised charges.

“Publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment are to make payments based on the revised rates with immediate effect,” it stated.

NERDC urged publishers, authors and other stakeholders in the book industry to comply fully with the new fee structure.

The fee reduction comes ahead of the rollout of the federal government’s National Textbook Ranking System, a flagship education reform introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality of instructional materials used in Nigerian schools.

Beginning in September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be authorised for classroom use nationwide, while unranked textbooks will no longer be permitted in schools.

Speaking earlier at the unveiling of the initiative, Alausa said the policy was designed to eliminate substandard textbooks and ensure that learners and teachers have access only to high-quality, curriculum-compliant instructional materials.

He explained that although NERDC would continue to carry out its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, approval alone would no longer be sufficient, as every approved title would undergo a rigorous national evaluation and ranking by expert committees before being recommended for use in schools.

The National Textbook Ranking System is one of the key education reforms being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education under the Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen quality assurance in basic and secondary education.

The ministry has also rolled out nationwide learning assessments, revived abandoned Unity College e-libraries, expanded digital learning infrastructure and introduced measures to tackle learning poverty, which government estimates affects about 42 million Nigerian children.

Officials say the textbook ranking policy is expected to improve quality assurance in educational publishing, encourage excellence among publishers and ensure that only the highest-quality instructional materials are used in classrooms across the country.