FG introduces textbook ranking system for schools from September

The federal government has introduced a National Textbook Ranking System for primary, junior and senior secondary schools as part of efforts to improve quality assurance and standardisation in Nigeria’s education sector.

The new policy is aimed at tackling the growing number of textbooks in schools and ensuring that only high-quality materials that meet curriculum standards are used in classrooms.

The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

According to the statement, “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.”

However, the government said textbook approval alone would no longer be sufficient, as books would now undergo a national ranking process.

“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,” the statement said.

As part of the reform, NERDC will establish Standing Subject Committees made up of experts in relevant subject areas to review books submitted by publishers.

The committees are expected to assess the textbooks using academic and teaching standards before making recommendations.

Following the evaluation, only a limited number of textbooks will be ranked and approved for use in schools for each subject.