The federal government has announced the introduction of a National Textbook Ranking System for primary, junior and senior secondary schools, designed to halt the unchecked proliferation of textbooks and ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-compliant materials make it into classrooms. The initiative, unveiled by Education Minister Tunji Alausa alongside his junior counterpart Suwaba Sai’d Ahmad, gives the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) the additional mandate of ranking approved textbooks through a rigorous national evaluation process. NERDC will constitute standing subject committees made of experts across various disciplines to subject submitted textbooks to strict academic and pedagogical scrutiny, assessing their relevance, clarity and alignment with national standards.
Only a select number of top-ranked textbooks will be approved for use per subject, effectively eliminating the glut of materials that has long plagued the system and confused teachers, students and parents alike. Any textbook not ranked under the new system will be barred from classrooms, regardless of its previous licensing status. The policy is set to take effect from the September 2026 academic session.
