In a move to overhaul the textbook approval system in Nigerian schools, the federal government has established a special committee to regulate the selection, ranking, and duration of instructional materials used nationwide.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who unveiled the initiative in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, described it as a corrective step aimed at improving learning standards while easing the financial burden on parents.
Dr Alausa stated that the absence of a robust ranking framework had led to the approval of numerous textbooks per subject without clear quality distinctions, allowing substandard materials to circulate alongside better-developed options.
He also faulted publishers for combining core textbooks with consumable workbooks, a practice that forces families to make yearly purchases even when learning content remains largely unchanged.
According to the minister, the newly constituted committee will implement a structured ranking system, limit the number of approved textbooks per subject, and enforce clear quality benchmarks to ensure transparency and accountability in the approval process.
“Your assignment is both timely and strategic. You are expected to critically review existing approval frameworks, recommend strengthened assessment instruments and ranking systems, define clear and enforceable quality benchmarks, and propose mechanisms that ensure genuine content improvement before new editions are approved.
“You are also expected to address issues of pricing transparency, edition control, separation of textbooks from consumable workbooks, and protection of learners and parents from unnecessary financial burdens,” Alausa said.
The panel is also expected to introduce safeguards around pricing, regulate the release of new editions, and mandate the separation of reusable textbooks from disposable learning materials to protect students and parents from unnecessary costs.
The reform is part of a broader education strategy that includes a reusable textbook policy, under which approved books are expected to remain in use for a minimum of three years and up to six years, depending on subject requirements.
Under the new policy, textbooks can be shared across academic sessions and among siblings, reducing recurring expenses for households while promoting sustainability in the education system.