Publishers expected dialogue on Nigeria’s controversial textbook ranking policy. What they encountered raised deeper questions about consultation, implementation, and the future of educational publishing.
When the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) accepted an invitation to engage with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) on June 2, 2026, many within the publishing and education sectors believed it would mark the beginning of a genuine consultation process.
After weeks of growing concerns following the Federal Ministry of Education’s announcement of a new textbook ranking policy, stakeholders hoped the meeting would provide an opportunity to exchange ideas, address fears, and perhaps reshape a proposal that had already generated significant debate across the country.
Instead, what transpired at NERDC’s headquarters in Sheda, Abuja, left many participants with even deeper concerns about the future of textbook development, educational publishing, and stakeholder participation in educational policymaking.
For the publishers who made the journey to Abuja, the meeting was expected to be a conversation. What they encountered, they say, appeared more like a presentation of an implementation plan already set in motion.
Expectations of Dialogue
The atmosphere leading up to the engagement was largely positive.
Following the public rejection of the policy by NPA in April, NERDC reached out to the association, indicating its intention to engage key stakeholders. The move was widely welcomed by publishers, many of whom believed that meaningful dialogue could help bridge the gap between the government’s objectives and industry realities.
Representatives of the NPA, led by the Association’s President, arrived at the meeting prepared to discuss the implications of the proposed policy and offer perspectives from an industry that has spent decades developing educational resources for Nigerian learners.
Across the table sat the NERDC delegation, led by the Council’s Executive Secretary.
The expectation was simple: listen, discuss, and jointly explore a path forward.
However, as the discussions unfolded, it became increasingly clear that the proposed policy had advanced much further than many stakeholders had imagined.
A Policy Already Moving Forward
One of the most striking revelations during the engagement was NERDC’s disclosure that implementation plans for the ranking policy were already in place.
For many publishers in attendance, this immediately raised questions about the purpose and timing of the consultation process.
If implementation timelines had already been developed and approved, stakeholders wondered how much room remained for meaningful input or possible adjustments to the policy framework.
The presentation by NERDC outlined a structured process through which educational textbooks would move before they could be ranked.
According to the Council’s explanation, publishers would first be required to submit their books for evaluation by NERDC officials after making prescribed payments.
Only books that achieved a minimum score of 70 per cent would proceed to the next stage.
At first glance, the quality assessment requirement appeared straightforward. Educational materials, after all, should meet established standards before being recommended for use in schools.
Yet this was only the beginning of the process.
The Second Gate
Publishers were informed that books that successfully passed the first stage would not automatically qualify for adoption or recommendation.
Instead, another stage awaited them.
And with it, another payment.
NERDC explained that publishers whose books met the initial benchmark would be required to make a second payment before entering the next phase of the process.
That second phase, stakeholders learned, would involve the actual ranking of the textbooks.
The announcement immediately shifted the focus of the discussion.
Questions emerged about how rankings would be determined, what criteria would be used, who would conduct the assessments, and how the system would impact competition among publishers whose books had already met national curriculum standards.
For many participants, the issue was no longer simply about evaluation. It was about what happens after approval and whether a ranking system would create a hierarchy among books that had already been judged educationally acceptable.
A Timeline That Raised Eyebrows
Perhaps the most surprising disclosure came toward the end of the presentation.
NERDC informed participants that implementation timelines had already been set and that the process was scheduled to commence immediately upon the date of the engagement.
The revelation appeared to catch many stakeholders off guard.
In most policy environments, consultations are expected to occur before implementation schedules are activated. The purpose is to ensure that stakeholder feedback informs policy design and execution.
However, publishers left the meeting with the impression that the machinery of implementation was already being switched on.
For many within the industry, this development transformed the conversation.
The question was no longer whether the policy was merely being proposed.
The question became whether the consultation itself was taking place after critical decisions had already been made.
Why Publishers Are Concerned
The concerns expressed by publishers extend beyond administrative procedures.
Educational publishing is one of the most resource-intensive segments of Nigeria’s creative and knowledge economy. Developing a textbook often involves years of curriculum research, writing, editing, illustration, review, design, production, and field testing.
Publishers argue that introducing multiple payment stages, combined with a ranking mechanism, could significantly alter the operating environment for educational content providers.
Smaller publishers, in particular, may face challenges navigating a process that requires repeated financial commitments before books can progress through successive stages.
Beyond the financial implications, many industry stakeholders remain concerned about how ranking could influence purchasing decisions in schools and whether it could unintentionally narrow the diversity of educational resources available to learners.
These concerns formed a significant part of the discussions surrounding the engagement.
More Than a Meeting
The June 2 engagement may ultimately be remembered as a defining moment in the ongoing debate over textbook policy in Nigeria.
What was expected to be a consultation became, for many participants, a window into the government’s readiness to move ahead with implementation.
At the same time, the meeting underscored the importance of continued dialogue between policymakers and industry stakeholders.
No one disputes the need to improve educational quality, strengthen curriculum delivery, or ensure that students have access to effective learning materials.
The challenge lies in achieving those goals while maintaining fairness, transparency, competition, and confidence among the stakeholders responsible for producing the books that fill Nigeria’s classrooms.
As discussions continue, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the debate over textbook ranking is no longer simply about books.
It is about process.
It is about participation.
And it is about ensuring that policies designed to improve education are developed through broad consultation and mutual understanding.
For Nigeria’s publishers, educators, and policymakers, the conversation that began in Sheda on June 2 may shape the future of educational publishing for years to come.
