File photo: Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
The federal government has announced that schools, publishers, and authors who use or distribute unapproved textbooks in public schools will be blacklisted as part of a sweeping reform aimed at improving the quality of education across the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while unveiling the newly approved National Textbook Ranking System, a policy that will ensure only nationally evaluated and approved textbooks are used in public primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools from September 2026.
A statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday, said the initiative would establish, for the first time, a transparent, merit-based and quality-driven national framework for selecting instructional materials in line with international best practices.
According to the statement, Alausa said the reform is designed to improve curriculum implementation, enhance learning outcomes, eliminate substandard textbooks and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s education system.
