The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has reduced the fees for textbook assessment and ranking as part of preparations for the Federal Government’s National Textbook Ranking System.

The Council also directed that publishers who paid the previous, higher assessment fees be refunded, saying the move is intended to reduce the financial burden on stakeholders in the education sector.

The decision was announced in a statement signed by NERDC’s Executive Secretary, Professor Salisu Shehu.

According to the statement, the assessment fee has been reduced from N2,000 to N1,500 per page, while the ranking fee has been cut from N1 million to N750,000 for each textbook title.

Professor Shehu said the revised fees take immediate effect and are aimed at encouraging greater participation by publishers and authors in the new textbook evaluation process.

He added that publishers who had already paid the former assessment fee would receive refunds of the excess amount, with details of the refund process to be announced later.

NERDC urged publishers and authors submitting textbooks for assessment to comply with the new fee structure with immediate effect.

The fee reduction comes ahead of the rollout of the Federal Government’s National Textbook Ranking System, a key education reform introduced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to improve the quality of learning materials used in Nigerian schools.

Under the policy, which is scheduled to take effect in September 2026, only textbooks that have been assessed, approved and ranked by NERDC will be recommended for use in classrooms, while unranked books will no longer be approved for schools.

The minister said the initiative is designed to eliminate substandard textbooks and ensure that learners and teachers have access to quality, curriculum-compliant instructional materials.

He explained that although NERDC will continue to approve textbooks in line with its statutory mandate, every approved title will also undergo a national evaluation and ranking by expert committees before it can be recommended for classroom use.

The National Textbook Ranking System forms part of the Federal Ministry of Education’s broader reforms aimed at improving the quality of basic and secondary education, alongside initiatives to strengthen learning outcomes, expand digital education infrastructure and tackle learning poverty across the country.