NERDC Reduces Textbook Assessment Charges Ahead of New Policy

The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has reduced the fees for the assessment and ranking of textbooks as part of efforts to ease the financial burden on publishers and authors ahead of the rollout of the Federal Government’s National Textbook Ranking System.

The revised charges were announced in a statement signed by the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Prof. Salisu Shehu, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Under the new fee structure, the cost of textbook assessment has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been slashed from N1 million to N750,000 per title.

NERDC said publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment are to pay the revised rates with immediate effect.

The Council also disclosed that publishers who had already paid the former assessment fee of N2,000 per page would be refunded the excess amount, noting that the process for obtaining the refunds would be communicated in due course.

It urged stakeholders in the publishing industry to comply with the new fee regime, which takes immediate effect.

The fee review comes ahead of the implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System, a Federal Government initiative aimed at improving the quality of instructional materials used in Nigerian schools.

Beginning from September 2026, only textbooks assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be eligible for use in schools, while books that fail to secure a ranking will no longer be permitted in classrooms.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, had said the policy was introduced to tackle the proliferation of textbooks and ensure that learners and teachers have access only to high-quality materials that align with the national curriculum.

Although NERDC will continue to perform its statutory responsibility of approving textbooks, the minister explained that approval alone would no longer qualify a book for classroom use.

Instead, approved textbooks will undergo a structured national evaluation and ranking process by expert panels to determine the most suitable and highest-quality titles for each subject and level of education before they are recommended for schools.