The Federal Government (FG), through the Ministry of Education, has inaugurated a high-level strategic committee to reform the selection and pricing of school textbooks nationwide.
Announced by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the initiative seeks to end cosmetic revisions and the bundling of core textbooks with costly, single-use workbooks—a practice that has long imposed a heavy financial burden on Nigerian families.
The policy is designed to protect parents from unnecessary annual expenses by ensuring textbooks are durable and reusable.
Under the new directive, textbooks must remain in use for at least three to six years, allowing materials to be passed down between siblings.
“Quality learning materials are the backbone of effective education,” Alausa said. “We must move beyond minimum standards and ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-aligned, and future-ready resources reach our classrooms.”
To enforce these standards, the committee brings together the “Big Five” of Nigeria’s educational regulatory bodies.
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will serve as Secretariat, working alongside the Ministry of Education, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission, and the National Teachers’ Institute.
The committee has been tasked with institutionalising several key reforms.
Limiting approved textbooks per subject to prevent curriculum overload and market saturation, and banning the bundling of core textbooks with consumable workbooks, which forces parents to purchase new sets annually.
Also, implementing clear quality benchmarks and ranking systems (Grades A, B, and C) to ensure value for money and ensure substantive content improvements for new editions, rather than minor layout changes.
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Alausa emphasised that these reforms form part of President Bola Tinubu’s broader commitment to raising educational standards and strengthening institutional accountability.
By refining the textbook approval process, the government aims to create a more equitable and affordable learning environment for all Nigerian children.
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