We consider the Federal Ministry of Education’s recent decisions on reuse of textbooks and a cap on the number of approved textbooks per subject in pre-tertiary schools a timely and commendable intervention in Nigeria’s struggling education sector. Under the new guidelines, government has prohibited the use of disposable workbooks, ensuring that textbooks can be re-used across academic sessions or passed down among siblings.

This policy is expected to slash the cost of education and improve learning outcomes across the country. At a time when parents are groaning under the burden of high cost of living and declining household incomes, forcing them to make painful choices between basic needs and their children’s schooling, any reform that reduces education cost deserves commendation.

For years, parents have been made to buy new textbooks annually because of altered pagination, cosmetic redesigns, or bundled disposable workbooks, but often with little or no improvement in content. This practice by school administrators, both in public and private schools, not only drained family finances but also entrenched wastefulness in a system already starved of resources. 

This is why government’s policy mandating that textbooks be standardised to last between four and six years is praiseworthy. The economic benefits of allowing siblings to share learning materials will go a long way in cushioning the economic challenges many parents face today. In the long run, the policy could significantly lower the cost of basic education and reduce dropout rates linked to financial hardship.

Beyond cost savings, the policy also addresses quality.

With a cap on the number of approved textbooks per subject to prevent curriculum overload, government is sending a clear message to publishers that education is not a marketplace for shortcuts and profiteering. Aligning Nigeria with global best practices by ensuring “value for money” is a step in the right direction that could restore confidence in instructional materials used in Nigerian classrooms.

However, policy announcements alone are not enough. Effective implementation will be the true test.

We therefore urge the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, NERDC, tasked with leading the quality assurance process for the new textbook regime to ensure that only high-quality and curriculum-aligned textbooks make the approved list. To do so, NERDC must be adequately empowered and insulated from undue influence. Schools, publishers, and state governments must also be carried along through clear guidelines, monitoring, and enforcement mechanisms.

Ultimately, this reform offers an opportunity to reset Nigeria’s approach to learning materials, placing affordability, quality, and sustainability above short-term commercial interests.

If faithfully implemented, the reusable textbook policy could become one of the most impactful education reforms in recent years, restoring value to teaching and learning while easing the burden on Nigerian families.