The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa [PHOTO CREDIT: @DrTunjiAlausa]
Policy inconsistency remains the bane of education in Nigeria, with every political administration or minister introducing new ideas that are, at best, good on paper. The Minister of Education is also pursuing another controversial reform by replacing the 6-3-3-4 administrative structure with a 6-6-4 arrangement, ostensibly to reduce the number of out-of-school children. No policy is 100 per cent foolproof or perfect. What matters is building consensus, ensuring sustainability, implementing reforms faithfully, and keeping education affordable and accessible for all.
Education policies have far-reaching consequences, shaping not only what students learn but also the industries and professionals that support learning. It is therefore imperative that any major reform in the education sector is preceded by broad stakeholder consultation and consensus, transparency, and careful assessment of its likely impact. This does not seem to be the case with the proposed textbook ranking policy initiative.
The Federal Government’s proposed Textbook Ranking Policy, championed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has sparked intense debate within Nigeria’s education and publishing communities. While the initiative is presented as a means of improving the quality of instructional materials, the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) argues that it could undermine decades of progress in educational publishing, encourage favouritism in textbook selection, threaten jobs, and create constitutional concerns over the powers of the federal and state governments in education, especially in view of the Federal Government’s stated commitment to devolve powers appropriately.
