JUST IN: FG reduces textbook assessment fees, approves refunds for publishers

The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has announced a reduction in the fees charged for textbook assessment and ranking, while directing that publishers who had already paid the previous, higher rates receive refunds.

The move is intended to reduce the financial burden on publishers and other stakeholders as the Federal Government prepares to implement the National Textbook Ranking System.

The decision was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja and personally signed by the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Prof. Salisu Shehu.

According to the statement, the Council has reduced the textbook assessment fee from N2,000 to N1,500 per page. It also lowered the ranking fee from N1 million to N750,000 for each textbook title.

Prof. Shehu said the revised charges take immediate effect and are intended to support publishers and authors participating in the new textbook evaluation process.

He also announced that publishers who had already paid the former assessment fee of N2,000 per page would receive refunds of the excess payment.

“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 said.

The Council added that “publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment are to make payments based on the revised rates with immediate effect.”

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

The fee reduction comes as the Federal Government prepares to commence the National Textbook Ranking System, a major education reform introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality of instructional materials used in Nigerian schools.

Under the policy, which takes effect from September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be approved for classroom use, while unranked textbooks will no longer be permitted in schools.

Speaking on the initiative when it was unveiled, Alausa said the policy was designed to tackle the proliferation of substandard textbooks and ensure that learners and teachers have access only to high-quality, curriculum-compliant learning materials.

He explained that while NERDC would continue to exercise its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, approval alone would no longer be sufficient, as every approved textbook 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 reforms being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education under the Renewed Hope Agenda to improve the quality of basic and secondary education.

The ministry has also launched nationwide learning assessments, revived abandoned Unity College e-libraries, expanded digital learning infrastructure and introduced measures aimed at addressing learning poverty, which the government estimates affects about 42 million Nigerian children.

Officials said the textbook ranking policy is expected to strengthen quality assurance, promote excellence in educational publishing and ensure that only the best instructional materials are used in classrooms across the country

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