The federal government has introduced a new policy framework designed to lower education costs for parents while improving learning outcomes across schools.
Tunji Alausa, minister of education, and Suwaiba Ahmed, minister of state for education, jointly issued the policy in Abuja on Friday.
The framework also focuses on sustainability by encouraging the use of durable, reusable textbooks and reinforcing quality assurance standards.
The ministers said the initiative is part of ongoing reforms aimed at repositioning the education sector and easing the financial burden on families.
They explained that the policy prioritises standardised textbooks built to last between four and six years and bans the practice of attaching disposable workbooks to textbooks in schools.
According to the ministers, the measures will allow learning materials to be reused across academic sessions, enable siblings to share books, cut recurring costs for parents and reduce environmental waste.
They also disclosed that the federal government has adopted a uniform academic calendar to ensure consistency in teaching, learning and school planning nationwide.
The ministers said graduation ceremonies have been restricted to pupils and students completing Primary Six, Junior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3 to curb avoidable expenses imposed on parents.
They added that the framework strengthens assessment, selection, monitoring and quality assurance processes for textbooks and instructional materials across the country.
The ministers noted that the reforms respond to long-standing concerns over cosmetic textbook revisions, weak ranking practices and the annual replacement of books without meaningful improvements in content.
They explained that the policy introduces structured revision cycles that require substantive content upgrades rather than minor layout or design changes.
The ministers further said limits have been placed on the number of approved textbooks per subject and grade level, in line with international practices seen in countries such as Japan, Kenya and Tanzania.
They stated that the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council will continue to oversee textbook assessment and quality assurance in collaboration with relevant education agencies.
The ministers reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to education reform and commended the Universal Basic Education Commission, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council and other partners for their roles in developing the policy.
They added that the government remains committed to protecting educational standards, promoting equity, reducing costs for parents and expanding access to quality learning materials nationwide.