The Federal Government has launched a Book Ranking and Selection Committee to overhaul Nigeria’s textbook approval system and curb the high cost and inconsistent quality of instructional materials used in schools.
The committee, inaugurated in Abuja on Monday, is expected to introduce a structured ranking system to address concerns that the current process has allowed poor-quality textbooks to be approved without clear standards.
Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa said the existing framework does not properly validate or rank textbooks before approval. As a result, some subjects currently have as many as 50 approved books, with no clear benchmark for quality.
“This gap has led to a situation where low-quality instructional materials are approved alongside those of higher pedagogical value,” Alausa said.
The minister also criticized publishers for bundling workbooks and consumables with core textbooks, a practice he said forces parents to buy new materials each year and adds unnecessary financial strain on families.
To address these issues, the new committee will recommend reforms including capping the number of approved textbooks per subject, enforcing transparent ranking, and eliminating exploitative packaging practices.
“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,” Alausa said.
He added that although regulatory agencies may approve multiple books, only seven textbooks per subject will be officially ranked for selection by schools, particularly under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) framework.
Once ranked, textbooks will remain in use for a minimum of three years, unless major curriculum or technological changes require updates.
Alausa urged the committee to tackle issues of pricing transparency, edition control, and the separation of durable textbooks from consumable materials. He also called on the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to publicize the reforms to reassure parents.
The committee will be chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and will include representatives from NERDC, UBEC, the National Teachers’ Institute, and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission.
Prof. Ahmad pledged the committee’s commitment to reforming the textbook approval process, noting that current approvals lack any benchmark to differentiate quality levels.
“As long as a textbook meets the minimum standard, it is approved, without any benchmark to determine whether it is of grade A, B or C quality,” she said.
NERDC Executive Secretary Prof. Salisu Shehu said the initiative will end arbitrary book selection in schools and ensure that only the best instructional materials are adopted nationwide.