The Nigerian Publishers Association has rejected the proposed nationwide textbook ranking policy, arguing that it could amount to a constitutional breach and trigger far-reaching disruption across Nigeria’s education and publishing sectors.
- +Publishers kick against FG textbook ranking
The NPA in a statement on Wednesday by its Executive Secretary, Rotimi Iyiola, said the policy, scheduled for implementation in the 2026/2027 academic session is “ill-advised, retrogressive, and detrimental” to the country’s educational system.
The NPA in a statement on Wednesday by its Executive Secretary, Rotimi Iyiola, said the policy, scheduled for implementation in the 2026/2027 academic session is “ill-advised, retrogressive, and detrimental” to the country’s educational system.
The statement read, “We seek immediate jettisoning of this policy that we deem obnoxious,” insisting that the framework “must not be allowed to stand.”
Recall that the minister of education, Dr Tunji Alausa, alongside the minister of state for education, Prof. Suwaba Sai’d Ahmad, said the textbook policy is designed to halt the unchecked proliferation of textbooks in schools and ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-compliant materials make it into classrooms.
Under the new framework, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, NERDC, will retain its statutory role of approving textbooks but will now go a step further by ranking them through a rigorous national evaluation process.
But the publishers argued that the proposal, to be executed by a committee outside the statutory Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, undermines an already established system.
According to the NPA, textbooks already undergo rigorous vetting by NERDC, which is empowered by law to develop curricula and approve instructional materials.
“For the Ministry to set up another committee to re-evaluate books already vetted, smacks of a motive other than what it announced,” the statement read.
The group went further, “The newly announced textbook ranking policy seems an obvious vote of ‘No Confidence’ on NERDC’s curriculum guidelines and rigorous process.
“It is either NERDC does not believe in its own guidelines, or an ulterior motive is being smuggled into its otherwise transparent process.”
Rejecting the concept of ranking, the association stressed that textbooks are not creative works subject to competition.
“Textbooks are not necessarily creative works that can be subjected to adjudication and ranking procedures.
“They are products of scientific processes carefully derived from the curriculum.”
“Textbooks, the bedrock of education, cannot be subjected to such whimsical process,” it added.
The publishers also raised legal concerns, citing the 1999 Constitution which places education on the concurrent legislative list.
“State Ministries of Education possess constitutional rights to determine instructional materials within their jurisdictions.
“By centralising textbook ranking, the Federal Ministry risks encroaching on constitutionally guaranteed state powers,” it warned, adding that the policy “subtly transforms coordination into control.”
The association added that the said policy framework lacked transparency.
It stated, “Ranking exercises are to be conducted outside public interference, effectively limiting oversight.
“There is no publicly available framework detailing evaluation criteria or scoring methodology. Final authority rests with the Honourable Minister.
“Transparency cannot exist in abstraction. It must be measurable. A closed system risks eroding trust and legitimacy.”
The NPA also faulted the exclusion of publishers from the design and implementation of the policy.
“The publishing ecosystem is not a peripheral actor. It is the engine that drives content development.
“Excluding such a body, raises serious concerns about inclusivity and fairness.”
It warned that the policy could create a “winner-takes-all” market.
“The likely consequences include business contraction for non-selected publishers, job losses… and reduced investor confidence.
“In effect, a policy designed to improve quality may unintentionally shrink the industry that sustains educational content production,” the NPA stated.
The group also cautioned against the impact on academic diversity.
“Schools will lose the flexibility to choose materials suited to their unique contexts.
“A healthy textbook ecosystem thrives on competition, overcentralisation risks replacing these with uniformity and stagnation,” it read.
The NPA urged the Federal Government to halt the policy before implementation and retain the current NERDC-led framework.
“There’s no need to reinvent a wheel that is working well.
“It is suicidal to politicise or experiment with the future of our children,” it warned.
