The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) has called on the Federal Government to reconsider its proposed textbooks ranking policy, emphasizing the need for broader stakeholder consultation and transparency before implementation.
National President of NPA, Lukman Dauda, made the appeal while addressing journalists in Lagos on issues of national importance relating to the book industry, education, publishing and the future of learning in Nigeria. He stated that while the association supports reforms aimed at improving quality, accountability and learning outcomes, the ranking aspect could introduce unintended consequences for the publishing industry and access to textbooks across the country.
Dauda recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education, through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), announced the policy on April 27 as part of efforts to standardize textbook selection across the country. The policy was presented as a measure to improve learning outcomes by ensuring that only selected textbooks are adopted for use in schools.
According to Dauda, the association studied the proposal and subsequently rejected it, raising objections to the ranking framework. After the rejection, the NPA welcomed NERDC's invitation for engagement, believing that meaningful consultation could address stakeholders' concerns and lead to a more balanced policy outcome.
The NPA President noted that publishers would be required to submit books for assessment after paying prescribed fees, with only submissions meeting the minimum threshold proceeding to a separate ranking stage where books would be placed in order of preference. He observed that implementation timelines had already been fixed before consultations with stakeholders concluded, raising concerns about whether contributions from publishers and other stakeholders would meaningfully influence the policy's outcome.
Dauda maintained that the existing textbook evaluation process conducted by NERDC has provided an objective framework for assessing instructional materials over the years, arguing that the current system should be strengthened rather than replaced entirely.
He disclosed that Nigeria has about 60 million students and more than 200 active educational publishers serving learners across public and private schools nationwide. He warned that ranking textbooks could create market distortions by concentrating opportunities among a limited number of publishers at the expense of others, potentially discouraging investment in educational publishing, reducing competition, and negatively affecting employment within the sector.
Dauda also noted that many publishing firms are still aligning learning materials with the newly introduced national curriculum, which was rolled out barely seven months ago. He stressed that adequate transition periods are required for implementation so that publishers can revise, develop and produce books that fully reflect the new curriculum content.
He urged the Federal Ministry of Education, NERDC, state governments, educators, school proprietors, parents and other stakeholders to sustain dialogue before implementing the policy. Inclusive consultation would help develop reforms that address quality concerns while protecting the diversity, competitiveness and sustainability of Nigeria's educational publishing industry.
Dauda further expressed concerns that limited implementation timelines combined with a ranking system could create shortages of textbooks if only a few publishers are expected to meet nationwide demand. He argued that no small group of publishers could realistically produce and distribute sufficient quantities of books for 60 million students within a short period, and that such a situation would worsen access problems for schools, teachers and parents.
He also raised constitutional questions, noting that education falls within the Concurrent Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, requiring cooperation between the federal government and state governments on matters of education policy. He asked whether adequate consultation had been undertaken with state governments before the federal government moved to dictate textbook selection through a ranking system.
On affordability, Dauda questioned whether assessment and ranking charges to be paid by publishers could increase costs within the educational value chain and ultimately affect parents and students. He said any reform aimed at improving access and affordability should carefully examine policies capable of increasing costs across the educational ecosystem, from production to distribution to retail.
As an alternative to ranking, Dauda proposed maintaining rigorous evaluation standards while approving all textbooks that successfully meet prescribed national curriculum requirements and benchmarks.
He concluded by calling on all stakeholders to sustain dialogue before implementing the policy, emphasizing that inclusive consultation would help develop reforms that address quality concerns while protecting the diversity, competitiveness and sustainability of Nigeria's educational publishing industry.
