The Federal Government has unveiled a new Reusable Textbook Policy aimed at reducing the cost of education for families, improving learning outcomes for students, and promoting sustainability within Nigeria’s education system.
Under the policy, textbooks used in schools will be standardized, durable, and designed to last between four and six years.
The initiative prohibits the use of disposable workbooks and other single-use instructional materials, ensuring that textbooks can be reused across academic sessions and shared among siblings within the same household.
Education stakeholders say the policy will significantly lower recurring expenses for parents, who often bear the burden of purchasing new textbooks every session. By enabling reuse, the government expects families to save substantially on learning materials while schools benefit from more consistent and reliable instructional resources.
A major pillar of the policy is strengthened quality assurance. The Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) has been designated to lead the process of textbook evaluation, approval, and monitoring.
This includes setting limits on the number of approved textbooks per subject and enforcing meaningful revision cycles, rather than frequent and unnecessary changes that drive up costs.
According to the Federal Government, the emphasis on high-quality, long-lasting textbooks will also enhance teaching and learning by ensuring that content remains relevant, accurate, and aligned with the national curriculum over a defined period.
