NEWS
NERDC Slashes Textbook Assessment Fees, Orders Refunds Ahead of National Ranking System
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has announced a reduction in the cost of textbook assessment and ranking while directing that publishers who had already paid the previous, higher assessment fees be refunded. The move is aimed at easing the financial burden on publishers and other stakeholders as the Federal Government prepares to implement its National Textbook Ranking System.
The decision was disclosed in a statement personally signed by the Executive Secretary of the Council, Prof. Salisu Shehu, and released on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to the statement, the Council has reviewed the charges downward, with the assessment fee reduced “from ₦2,000 to ₦1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been reviewed downward from ₦1 million to ₦750,000 per textbook title.”
Prof. Shehu explained that the revised charges take immediate effect and are intended to encourage greater participation by publishers and authors in the new textbook evaluation process, which is expected to play a central role in improving the quality of educational materials used across the country.
In addition to the fee reduction, the Council announced that publishers who had already paid the former assessment fee of N2,000 per page would not lose the excess amount.
“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 statement said.
NERDC further stated that “publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment are to make payments based on the revised rates with immediate effect.”
The Council also urged publishers, authors and other stakeholders in the book industry to comply fully with the newly approved fee structure.
The reduction in assessment and ranking fees comes as the Federal Government intensifies preparations for the rollout of the National Textbook Ranking System, a major education reform introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to enhance the quality of instructional materials used in Nigerian schools.
Under the new policy, which is scheduled to take effect from September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be authorised for classroom use. Textbooks that fail to obtain the required ranking will no longer be permitted in schools.
Speaking when the initiative was unveiled, Alausa explained that the policy was introduced to address the widespread circulation of substandard textbooks and ensure that teachers and learners have access only to high-quality learning materials that comply with the national curriculum.
He noted that although NERDC would continue to perform its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, approval alone would no longer be enough. Every approved textbook, he said, 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 flagship reforms being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education under the Renewed Hope Agenda to strengthen the quality of basic and secondary education in Nigeria.
As part of the broader reform agenda, the ministry has also introduced nationwide learning assessments, revived abandoned Unity College e-libraries, expanded digital learning infrastructure and rolled out measures aimed at reducing learning poverty, which the government estimates affects about 42 million Nigerian children.
Education officials expressed confidence that the textbook ranking policy will strengthen quality assurance in the education sector, encourage excellence in educational publishing and ensure that only the highest-quality instructional materials are used in classrooms across Nigeria.