- NERDC reduced the cost of textbook assessment and ranking fees in a move tied to the Federal Government’s new National Textbook Ranking System
- Publishers who already paid the old assessment fee of N2,000 per page are set to receive refunds of the excess amount
- The fee changes take immediate effect, with the procedure for processing refunds to be announced soon by the Council
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering basic and tertiary education in Nigeria and worldwide
FCT, Abuja – The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has cut the fees charged for textbook assessment and ranking, and directed that publishers who paid the older, higher rates be reimbursed for the difference.
The NERDC Executive Secretary, Prof. Salisu Shehu, said under the new rates, the assessment fee drops from N2,000 to N1,500 per page.
Shehu added that the ranking fee falls from N1 million to N750,000 per textbook title.
As reported by The Punch, Shehu made this known in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Both reductions take immediate effect, and publishers submitting textbooks for assessment are required to use the revised figures from now on.
Refunds for publishers who overpaid
Prof. Shehu confirmed that any publisher who had already paid the old assessment fee of N2,000 per page would get a refund for the excess amount.
The Council said the process for handling those refunds would be communicated at a later date.
NERDC urged publishers, authors and other stakeholders across the book industry to align with the updated fee structure without delay.
What national textbook ranking system requires
The fee adjustment comes as the Federal Government gets ready to launch the National Textbook Ranking System, a reform introduced by Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa to raise the standard of learning materials in Nigerian schools.
Starting from September 2026, only textbooks that have passed through NERDC’s assessment, approval and ranking process will be allowed in classrooms. Books that have not been ranked will no longer be permitted for school use.
When the policy was first unveiled, Alausa said it was designed to address the widespread problem of substandard textbooks in circulation.
The minister noted that while NERDC had always been responsible for approving textbooks, that approval on its own would no longer be enough. Going forward, every approved title must also pass through evaluation by expert committees before it can be recommended for classroom use.
The National Textbook Ranking System is part of a broader set of education reforms under the Federal Ministry of Education’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Other initiatives under the same programme include nationwide learning assessments, the revival of e-libraries in Unity Colleges, expanded digital learning infrastructure, and measures targeting learning poverty, which the government says affects around 42 million Nigerian children.
Officials said the ranking policy is expected to strengthen quality control in educational publishing and ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-compliant materials reach students and teachers across the country.
Source: Legit.ng