The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, has launched a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s textbook approval process, mandating authors, publishers, and other education stakeholders to resubmit instructional materials for fresh assessment and ranking under a newly introduced quality assurance framework.
The directive was announced in a public notice issued by the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Salisu Shehu, who confirmed the commencement of the 2026 Phase 1 textbook assessment and ranking exercise.
According to the council, the new policy introduces a structured ranking system aimed at strengthening the quality of teaching materials used in Nigerian schools and ensuring that only approved, high-standard textbooks are adopted for classroom use. The reform is also expected to increase competition among publishers while raising educational benchmarks nationwide.
NERDC stated that all previously approved textbooks are not exempt, as they must undergo fresh evaluation in line with newly updated standards, benchmarks, and ranking requirements introduced under the revised framework.
The assessment exercise will be carried out in three phases. Phase 1 will cover textbooks and instructional materials for Primary 1, Primary 4, Junior Secondary School (JSS 1), and Senior Secondary School (SSS 1). Subsequent phases will address other class levels across the basic and secondary education system.
The council announced that submissions for Phase 1 will open on June 8, 2026, and close on June 19, 2026, warning that late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances.
NERDC further explained that all materials submitted for ranking must first pass through an enhanced evaluation process based on newly approved quality benchmarks, adding that publishers, authors, printers, and distributors are required to strictly adhere to the revised Book Quality Guidelines and submission procedures available on its official platform.
The council also disclosed that the entire assessment and ranking process for the 2026 cycle will be concluded by July 31, 2026, after which approved and ranked textbooks will be published for use in schools nationwide.
Speaking on the initiative, Prof. Shehu urged full compliance from all stakeholders, stressing that the reform is designed to improve learning outcomes, strengthen curriculum delivery, and ensure consistency in educational standards across Nigeria.
