The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has announced a reduction in the fees charged for textbook assessment and ranking, while directing that publishers who previously paid the higher rates be refunded the excess amount.
The development is expected to ease financial pressure on publishers and authors ahead of the federal government’s implementation of the National Textbook Ranking System.
Key Highlights:
- NERDC cut textbook assessment and ranking fees for publishers.
- Assessment fee drops to ₦1,500 per page from ₦2,000.
- Ranking fee reduced to ₦750,000 from ₦1 million.
- Publishers who paid the old rates will receive refunds.
- The new textbook ranking system begins ahead of its September 2026 rollout.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, and personally signed by the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Prof. Salisu Shehu.
Under the revised pricing structure, the assessment fee has been reduced from ₦2,000 to ₦1,500 per page, while the ranking fee for each textbook title has been lowered from ₦1 million to ₦750,000.
Prof. Shehu said the new charges take immediate effect and are intended to encourage greater participation by publishers and authors in the national textbook evaluation exercise.
He also confirmed that publishers who had already paid the former assessment fee would be reimbursed for the difference.
According to him, the council will soon announce the procedure for processing refunds.
“Publishers who had already paid the previous assessment fee of ₦2,000 per page will receive refunds of the excess payment, while the procedure for processing the refunds will be announced soon,” the statement said.
NERDC directed all publishers and authors submitting textbooks for evaluation to begin making payments using the revised fee schedule with immediate effect.
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The council also urged stakeholders in Nigeria’s publishing industry to comply with the updated charges as preparations continue for the rollout of the National Textbook Ranking System.
The fee review comes ahead of the implementation of the Federal Government’s new textbook quality assurance policy, which is scheduled to take effect in September 2026.
The National Textbook Ranking System, introduced by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, is designed to improve the quality of learning materials used in schools by ensuring that only textbooks meeting approved standards are recommended for classroom use.
Under the policy, textbooks will no longer be permitted in schools solely on the basis of regulatory approval. Instead, every approved publication must undergo a comprehensive evaluation and national ranking conducted by expert panels before receiving final recommendation for use.
When unveiling the initiative, Alausa said the reform was introduced to eliminate substandard instructional materials and ensure that students and teachers have access to textbooks that meet curriculum requirements and quality standards.
He explained that while NERDC would continue to perform its statutory role of approving educational materials, each approved title would also be subjected to a rigorous ranking process before being cleared for classroom adoption.
The National Textbook Ranking System forms part of the Federal Ministry of Education’s broader education reform agenda under the Renewed Hope programme.
Other ongoing initiatives include nationwide learning assessments, the restoration of e-libraries in Unity Colleges, expansion of digital learning infrastructure and interventions aimed at reducing learning poverty, which the government estimates affects about 42 million Nigerian children.
Education authorities believe the new ranking system will strengthen quality assurance in educational publishing, encourage higher standards among publishers and improve the quality of teaching and learning materials available in schools across the country.
