Concerns Rise Over New Textbook Ranking Policy in Nigeria

Education policies can greatly affect what students learn and how it impacts various industries. This is why any big changes in education should involve discussions with everyone involved, be open, and carefully consider the possible results. Unfortunately, the planned textbook ranking policy does not seem to follow this path.

The Federal Government's new Textbook Ranking Policy, led by Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa, has stirred serious debates among Nigeria's education and publishing sectors. While the government claims this initiative aims to improve the quality of textbooks, the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) warns it could jeopardize years of progress in educational publishing. They believe it might lead to unfair favoritism in choosing textbooks, put jobs at risk, and raise questions about the authority of federal and state governments in education.

These worries bring up an important question: Will this new policy help Nigeria's education system, or will it harm publishing, teaching, and learning?

The planned changes are both controversial and troubling. The Federal Ministry of Education describes the textbook ranking system as a way to cut costs and ensure quality. They say the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will oversee the ranking of textbooks to decide which ones are best suited for each subject and level.

"After this evaluation, only a few textbooks will be ranked and approved for use in schools for each subject, which will help with quality control and consistency in teaching materials across the country," the ministry said.

"Under the new policy, NERDC will keep its role in licensing textbooks. But any textbook that does not get ranked under this new system will not be allowed in Nigerian schools, even if it was previously licensed."

Yet, the NPA and others are not convinced. They want lawmakers to step in. They argue there was not enough consultation, and the new idea did not get the proper check it needed to see if it is suitable. They fear this policy could harm educational growth and roll back progress, as it lacks inclusivity, transparency, and a clear plan for the future.

Critics say the policy could lead to serious economic, logistical, and legal problems. It sets up a winner-takes-all situation, moving from a system based on merit to a strict ranking system where only a few textbooks can be used in classrooms. This change would likely cut down fair competition and create a big market imbalance, giving most of the money to a few favored publishing houses.

Local publishers who have invested time and money in creating educational content might suddenly find themselves out of the market. This could lead to layoffs across the education printing and publishing sectors. Another worry is the timeline for putting this policy into action. It seems that those in charge did not consider the need for stakeholder engagement until they faced pushback.

A major contradiction of this policy is that while it aims to make education cheaper for parents, the new fees could have the opposite effect. The assessment fee jumps from ₦300 per page to ₦2,000 per page, plus a ₦1 million ranking fee for each subject. The NPA says that for one publisher to complete both assessment and ranking for all subjects in basic and senior secondary schools, costs could exceed ₦135.5 million. For many local publishers, this is more than their total working capital. Those who can cover these costs might just pass them to parents, raising textbook prices and adding to the financial strain.

This policy comes at a tough time, as publishers are already trying to align their materials with the new national curriculum. The tight timeline means publishers have little room to develop, test, and print books that meet the new guidelines. Even more worrying is that even the top publishers may not have the capacity to meet the needs of Nigeria's 60 million learners in such a short time. This could lead to textbook shortages, more piracy, and higher prices.

Top education systems focus on evaluating, approving, and recommending textbooks instead of ranking them to favor a few publishers. These systems understand that educational quality improves when schools and teachers have a variety of approved textbooks to choose from, rather than being forced to rely on a few highly ranked ones.

As the government tries to give more power to local governments and possibly create state police, this textbook ranking policy seems to go in the opposite direction. It could take away states' rights to choose what books their students read. Under the 1999 Constitution, education is on the Concurrent Legislative List, meaning state governments have the right to select materials that fit their needs. Centralizing a mandatory textbook ranking system at the federal level is viewed as an unconstitutional expansion of federal power. It would also limit schools' ability to choose suitable learning materials.

Even though the Federal Government says state public schools and private schools are not automatically bound by the policy, that guarantee is not enough. What is really needed is a thorough review and real discussions with all stakeholders before moving ahead.

Countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, India, South Africa, and Ghana usually have systems that ensure textbooks meet educational standards while keeping competition, variety, teacher choice, and affordability intact.

The proposed ranking policy strays from this common practice and risks creating market problems, cutting down textbook variety, limiting professional choices, and concentrating educational content among a few providers. Nigeria's education policies should align with global best practices that promote quality while ensuring competition, accessibility, innovation, and academic freedom.

Inconsistency in education policies remains a big issue in Nigeria, with each government or minister bringing in new ideas that may look good on paper. The Minister of Education is also pushing another controversial change, replacing the 6-3-3-4 structure with a 6-6-4 plan, supposedly to reduce the number of out-of-school children. No policy is perfect. What matters is building agreement, ensuring sustainability, and keeping education affordable and accessible for all. We need legislative oversight to bring all parties together for honest talks about the future of Nigeria's education policies.