Education: FG Introduces National Textbook Ranking System To Improve Quality

As part of efforts to strengthen quality assurance and standardisation in Nigeria’s education sector, the Federal Government has introduced a National Textbook Ranking System for Primary, Junior and Senior Secondary Schools across the country .

The initiative is designed to address the growing proliferation of textbooks in schools and ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-compliant learning materials are approved for classroom use.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa,, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suiwaba Sai’d Ahmad in Abuja.

The minister explained that under the new system, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will continue to exercise its statutory authority to approve textbooks for use in Nigerian schools.

Alausa however said beyond approval, textbooks will now be ranked through a structured national evaluation process to determine the most suitable and highest-quality options for each subject and level of education.

According to him, as part of the reform, NERDC will establish Standing Subject Committees comprising experts in relevant subject areas who will conduct rigorous reviews of textbooks submitted by publishers and evaluate them based on clearly defined academic and pedagogical standards.

Following this evaluation process, he said only a limited number of textbooks will be ranked and approved for use in schools for each subject, ensuring improved quality control and consistency in teaching and learning materials across the country.

He also explained that introduction of the ranking system is expected to significantly reduce the excessive number of textbooks currently in circulation in many schools, which has often created confusion for teachers, students and parents.

According to him, the reform also aims at improving transparency, order and quality assurance into the textbook approval process while aligning Nigeria’s education system with international best practices in instructional material standardisation.

“Under the new policy, NERDC will continue its responsibility of licensing textbooks. However, any textbook that is not ranked under the new system will not be permitted for use in Nigerian schools, regardless of prior licensing status.”

The minister said the Federal Government will also be communicating the new ranking policy to teachers and other key stakeholders in the education sector to ensure proper awareness and compliance with the new framework.

“Implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System will commence from September 2026 academic sessions following the establishment of the Standing Subject Committees and completion of the evaluation framework.”

The reform forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the quality of education delivery, enhance learning outcomes and ensure that Nigerian students are equipped with the best possible learning resources.

PR/Nkiruka Okeke