The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has reduced the fees charged for textbook assessment and ranking ahead of the implementation of the Federal Government’s National Textbook Ranking System.
Naija News reports that the council also directed that publishers who had already paid the previous assessment charges should be refunded the excess amount.
The decision was announced in a statement signed by the NERDC Executive Secretary, Professor Salisu Shehu, and released in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to the council, the textbook assessment fee has been reduced from ₦2,000 to ₦1,500 per page.
The ranking charge was also reviewed downward from ₦1m to ₦750,000 for each textbook title submitted for evaluation.
“The assessment fee has been reduced from ₦2,000 to ₦1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been reviewed downward from ₦1m to ₦750,000 per textbook title,” the statement read.
Shehu said the revised charges would take effect immediately and were intended to reduce the financial burden on publishers and authors participating in the new evaluation system.
NERDC said publishers who had paid the former assessment rate would be entitled to refunds covering the difference between the old and revised charges.
“Publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee of ₦2,000 per page will receive refunds of the excess payment, while the procedure for processing the refunds will be announced soon,” the council stated.
It added that publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment should immediately begin paying according to the new rates.
The council urged stakeholders in the publishing industry to comply with the revised fee structure.
The fee reduction comes ahead of the planned commencement of the National Textbook Ranking System in September 2026.
The policy was introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, as part of measures to improve the quality of instructional materials used in Nigerian schools.
Under the initiative, only textbooks assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be recommended for use in classrooms.
Textbooks that have not gone through the ranking process will no longer be permitted in schools once the policy takes effect.
Alausa had said the initiative was designed to address the growing circulation of substandard textbooks and ensure that teachers and pupils had access to materials that complied with the national curriculum.
He explained that NERDC would retain its statutory responsibility for approving textbooks, but approval alone would no longer qualify a book for classroom use.
Every approved textbook would also be subjected to a national evaluation and ranking process conducted by expert committees before being recommended to schools.
The textbook ranking programme forms part of wider reforms being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Other measures include nationwide learning assessments, the revival of abandoned e-libraries in Federal Unity Colleges and the expansion of digital learning infrastructure.
The ministry has also introduced interventions aimed at reducing learning poverty, which the government estimates affects about 42 million Nigerian children.
Education officials said the ranking system would strengthen quality assurance, encourage higher standards among publishers and ensure that schools use only the most suitable instructional materials.
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