Why we reject FG’s proposed textbook ranking policy —NPA

The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) has rejected a new plan by the Federal Ministry of Education to introduce a classroom textbook ranking system for basic and secondary schools. Scheduled for implementation in the 2026/2027 academic session, the policy would bypass the statutory regulator, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), in favour of a handpicked committee.

The association raised these concerns in a statement, calling for the immediate cancellation of the policy.

It labelled the policy as an “obnoxious anomaly” that will distort educational standards, breach the Constitution, and cripple the nation’s publishing economy.

While noting that such a policy is capable of undermining institutional regulatory frameworks, the association stated that textbooks are products of rigorous, scientific and curriculum-driven processes, not creative arts that can be subjected to subjective adjudication for prizes. Currently, publishers align manuscripts with the NERDC curriculum, and the Council vets them for compliance before granting final publishing approval.

The NPA views the creation of a separate ministry evaluation committee as a clear vote of “no confidence” in the NERDC’s established, transparent guidelines.

It also observed that under the 1999 Constitution, education sits on the Concurrent Legislative List, with state ministries of education holding the constitutional right to select instructional materials for their jurisdictions.

“So, by centralising textbook ranking and issuing a mandatory national list, the federal ministry is accused of transforming its advisory role into monopolistic control, thereby undermining Nigerian federalism,” the body asserted.

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Another concern, according to the NPA, is that despite official claims of promoting objectivity, the association highlighted severe structural flaws in the operational design of the policy.

The publishing ecosystem is a complex value chain involving authors, editors, printers, paper investors, and booksellers.

The NPA, therefore, warns that a centrally controlled ranking system will create a “winner-takes-all” monopoly, destroying fair competition and more.

According to the NPA, the policy will result in business contraction for unselected local publishers, mass job losses across printing, logistics, and retail, stifled innovation due to highly restricted market entry, as well as a drop in foreign investment for printing infrastructure.

The NPA concluded that while public policy must aim for high standards, it cannot ignore institutional boundaries, stakeholder inclusion, and economic stability.

The association maintains that the policy must be dropped entirely before leaving the planning stage to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.