Nigeria’s education sector is set for a major shake-up as the Federal Government has unveiled a National Textbook Ranking System targeting primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary schools across the country.
The move is part of a wider effort to tighten quality control and bring more order into what students learn in classrooms.
Officials say the system is designed to curb the flood of textbooks circulating in schools and ensure that only well-vetted, curriculum-aligned materials make it to learners’ desks.
How the New System Will Work
Under the new arrangement, textbooks will no longer just be approved and left at that.
Instead, they will now go through a structured ranking process that evaluates their quality, relevance, and how well they support teaching and learning.
The Federal Government explained that while approval still matters, ranking will now determine which textbooks are considered the most suitable for each subject and class level.
Only a limited number of top-performing textbooks will be recommended for use in schools, a shift that is expected to streamline teaching materials nationwide.
NERDC Takes Centre Stage With Expert Committees
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will continue to play its statutory role of approving textbooks.
However, its responsibilities are now expanding under the new framework.
Standing Subject Committees will be created, bringing together subject-matter experts to carry out detailed evaluations of submitted textbooks.
These panels will assess books based on academic strength, curriculum alignment, and teaching effectiveness.
After the review process, only textbooks that meet the required standards will be ranked and officially recommended for use in schools.
Impact and Consequences
One of the biggest expected outcomes of this reform is a significant reduction in the number of textbooks currently used in schools.
For years, teachers, parents, and students have had to navigate multiple competing books for the same subject, often leading to confusion and inconsistency in learning.
With the new system, classrooms are expected to become more structured, with clearer guidance on approved learning materials.
Education stakeholders also anticipate improved teaching quality, as educators will work with more standardized and carefully selected resources.
Another major impact is transparency. By introducing a formal ranking system, the government hopes to reduce ambiguity in textbook selection and bring Nigeria closer to global best practices in educational content regulation.
Importantly, any textbook not ranked under the new system will not be allowed for classroom use, even if it had previously been licensed.
What’s next?
The Federal Government has already begun planning for implementation, which is scheduled to begin from the September 2026 academic session.
Before then, NERDC will set up the Standing Subject Committees and finalize the evaluation framework that will guide the ranking process.
Authorities also plan to roll out awareness campaigns targeting teachers, school administrators, publishers, and other key stakeholders to ensure smooth adoption of the new policy.
Summary
The Federal Government is introducing a National Textbook Ranking System to improve the quality and consistency of learning materials in Nigerian schools.
Instead of simply approving textbooks, authorities will now rank them, with only top-rated books recommended for classroom use.
Bulleted Takeaways
- Federal Government introduces National Textbook Ranking System for all basic and secondary schools
- Textbooks will now be ranked, not just approved
- NERDC retains approval powers and leads the evaluation process
- Standing Subject Committees will assess textbooks based on strict academic standards
- Only a limited number of ranked textbooks will be recommended per subject
- Unranked textbooks will not be allowed in schools
- Aim is to reduce confusion caused by too many textbooks in circulation
- Policy implementation begins September 2026 academic session
- Stakeholder sensitization campaigns will precede rollout
- Reform aligns Nigeria’s education system with global best practices
