The Federal Government of Nigeria has introduced a comprehensive education policy aimed at reducing the financial burden on parents and improving learning outcomes. The policy, unveiled by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, seeks to promote sustainability in schools through the adoption of reusable, high-quality textbooks and strengthened quality assurance mechanisms.
The new policy is part of ongoing reforms to reposition the education sector and ease the financial burden on families. The framework prioritizes the use of standardized, durable textbooks designed to last between four and six years, while prohibiting the bundling of disposable workbooks with textbooks in schools. This approach will allow learning materials to be reused across multiple academic sessions, enable siblings to share textbooks, lower recurring education costs, and reduce waste, thereby supporting environmental sustainability.
In addition to the textbook policy, the Federal Government has introduced a uniform academic calendar to promote consistency in teaching, learning, and school planning nationwide. Graduation ceremonies have been streamlined to curb unnecessary financial pressure on parents, with only pupils and students completing Primary Six, Junior Secondary School 3, and Senior Secondary School 3 permitted to hold such ceremonies.
The policy also strengthens the assessment, quality assurance, selection, and use of textbooks and instructional materials across the country. The reforms address longstanding concerns over frequent cosmetic textbook revisions, weak ranking standards, and practices that compelled parents to purchase new textbooks annually without improvements in content or learning outcomes. A key provision of the policy is the introduction of structured and meaningful revision cycles, under which textbook revisions must reflect substantive improvements in content rather than minor layout changes.
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council will continue to play a central role in the assessment and quality assurance of instructional materials, working with relevant education agencies to ensure that only curriculum-aligned textbooks are approved for use in schools. 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.
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to education reform, commending the Universal Basic Education Commission, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, and other technical partners for their contributions to the policy. The government has restated its resolve to safeguard educational standards, promote equity, reduce costs for parents, and ensure access to quality instructional materials nationwide. The implementation of this policy is expected to have a significant impact on the education sector, improving learning outcomes and reducing the financial burden on parents.
