The Federal Government has unveiled a new policy framework aimed at reducing the cost of education for parents while improving learning outcomes and promoting sustainability through the adoption of reusable, high-quality textbooks across schools nationwide.
The policy, jointly issued by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaba Sai’d, forms part of broader reforms designed to reposition Nigeria’s education sector and ease the growing financial burden on families.
Under the new framework, schools are to adopt standardised and durable textbooks designed to last between four and six years, with a strict ban placed on the bundling of disposable workbooks with core textbooks.
According to a statement signed by Director Press and Public Relations of the ministry Boriowo Folasade on Friday in Abuja, the initiative would allow textbooks to be reused across academic sessions, enable siblings to share learning materials and significantly reduce recurrent education expenses for parents.
The policy is about protecting parents from needless and repetitive costs while ensuring that children learn from well-developed and durable instructional materials.
As part of broader sector reforms, the ministers have also disclosed that the Federal Government has introduced a uniform academic calendar to promote consistency in teaching, learning, and school planning across the country.
In addition, the Ministers stated that graduation ceremonies have been streamlined to curb unnecessary financial pressure on parents. Under the new guidelines, only pupils and students completing Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS3), and Senior Secondary School 3 (SSS3) are permitted to hold graduation ceremonies.
The Ministers further emphasised that the policy strengthens the assessment, quality assurance, selection, and use of textbooks and instructional materials nationwide. The reforms respond to longstanding concerns over frequent but cosmetic textbook revisions, weak ranking standards, and practices that compel parents to purchase new textbooks annually without corresponding improvements in content or learning outcomes.
A key provision of the policy is the introduction of structured and meaningful revision cycles. Under the new framework, textbook revisions must reflect substantive improvements in content rather than minor changes in layout or pagination, thereby extending the lifespan of approved textbooks and ensuring better value for money.
The Ministers also highlighted that the policy introduces limits on the number of approved textbooks per subject and grade level, in line with international best practices observed in countries such as Japan, Kenya, and Tanzania. This measure is expected to improve quality, reduce market saturation, and simplify textbook selection processes for schools and education authorities.
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will continue to play a central role in the assessment and quality assurance of instructional materials, working closely with relevant education agencies to ensure that only high-quality, curriculum-aligned textbooks are approved for use in schools nationwide.
The Federal Ministry of Education reaffirmed its commitment to education renewal and reform and commended Universal Basic Education Commission, NERDC, and other technical partners, for their contributions to the development of the new policy framework.
The Ministers reaffirmed the Federal Government’s resolve to safeguard educational standards, promote equity, reduce costs for parents, and ensure that learners across Nigeria have access to high-quality instructional materials that support effective teaching and learning outcomes.