The Federal Government has introduced a new policy that will allow the use of reusable and durable textbooks in schools across Nigeria as part of efforts to reduce education costs and improve learning quality.
Naijaonpoint reports that the policy was unveiled in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suiwaba Sai’d.
It is aimed at easing the financial pressure on parents, promoting sustainability, and improving the standard of instructional materials used in classrooms nationwide.
Under the new framework, schools are required to adopt standardised textbooks that are built to last between four and six years.
The policy also bans the practice of attaching disposable workbooks to textbooks, a system that often forced parents to buy new books every academic session.
With the new approach, textbooks can now be reused by different students over several years, including siblings within the same family.
This is expected to lower repeated spending on books and reduce waste within the education system.
The policy also introduces other measures designed to cut costs and improve order in schools.
A uniform academic calendar has been approved to bring consistency to teaching activities, learning periods, and school planning across the country.
In addition, graduation ceremonies have been restricted to only pupils and students completing Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3, and Senior Secondary School 3.
This move is intended to stop excessive spending on frequent graduation events.
The ministers explained that the policy was developed in response to long-standing complaints about frequent textbook changes that offered little improvement in content but forced parents to keep buying new editions.
Going forward, textbook revisions must show clear improvements in learning content rather than minor changes in design or page arrangement.
The policy also limits the number of approved textbooks per subject and class level.
This step is expected to raise quality, reduce overcrowding in the textbook market, and make book selection easier for schools, in line with practices seen in other countries.
The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council will continue to handle the review and approval of textbooks.
The agency will work with other relevant bodies to ensure that only materials that meet curriculum standards and quality requirements are used in schools.