Nigeria Cuts Textbook Ranking and Assessment Fees

The federal government has significantly reduced the fees for its new textbook quality assurance program, a move aimed at easing costs for publishers as it prepares to implement a mandatory national ranking system for all instructional materials in schools starting in September 2026. The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council announced on Wednesday, July 22, that the assessment fee has been cut from 2,000 naira to 1,500 naira per page, while the ranking fee for each textbook title has been reduced from 1 million naira to 750,000 naira.

The revised fees take immediate effect and apply to all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for the National Textbook Ranking Policy. Council officials stated that publishers who have already paid the previous, higher fees will receive refunds, with details of that process to be announced later. The policy mandates that only textbooks assessed, approved, and ranked by the council will be permitted for use in Nigerian classrooms from September 2026 onward.

Education Minister Tunji Alausa explained that the initiative is designed to tackle the proliferation of textbooks in schools and ensure students and teachers have access...