The Federal Government has inaugurated a Book Ranking and Selection Committee as part of efforts to improve the quality, affordability and standardization of textbooks used in Nigerian schools.
The initiative is designed to overhaul the current textbook approval system, which authorities say has allowed substandard materials, weak quality control and excessive financial pressure on parents to thrive.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the existing process failed to properly assess and rank textbooks before approval.
According to him, this lapse resulted in situations where some subjects had as many as 50 approved textbooks, without clear benchmarks to guide schools on quality.
Alausa explained that the absence of a structured ranking system meant that poorly produced instructional materials were approved alongside high-quality textbooks, creating confusion for schools and parents.
The minister also criticised publishers for the practice of bundling core textbooks with consumable workbooks, a move he said forced parents to purchase new books every academic year and placed unnecessary financial strain on families.
To address these challenges, Alausa said the new committee would introduce reforms aimed at limiting the number of approved textbooks per subject, ensuring transparent and objective ranking, and protecting learners and parents from exploitative practices.
“Your assignment is both timely and strategic,” the minister told members of the committee. “You are expected to review existing approval frameworks, recommend stronger assessment and ranking systems, define clear quality benchmarks, and ensure that genuine content improvements are made before new editions are approved.”
He added that although regulatory agencies could approve more textbooks, only seven books per subject would be officially ranked and recommended for selection by schools, particularly under the Universal Basic Education Commission framework.
Alausa further disclosed that once ranked, approved textbooks would remain in use for a minimum of three years, except in cases where major curriculum or technological changes necessitated updates. He also urged the committee to address pricing transparency, edition control, and the separation of durable textbooks from consumable materials.
The committee is chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and includes representatives from key education agencies such as the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Teachers’ Institute and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission.
In her remarks, Prof. Ahmad assured that the committee would work diligently to reform the textbook approval process and ensure students across the country have access to high-quality learning materials.
She noted that under the old system, textbooks were approved once they met minimum standards, without any grading to distinguish between average and excellent quality.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Prof. Salisu Shehu, said the initiative would put an end to arbitrary book selection in schools and guarantee that only the best instructional materials are adopted nationwide.
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