Textbook Ranking policy will endanger indigenous publishing industry, publishers tell NASS
The Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) has said the recently announced Textbook Ranking Policy by the Federal Ministry of Education, being implemented through the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), lacks transparency and inclusiveness, and could jeopardise education development in the country.
This was contained in a petition signed by the President and Chairman-in-Council of NPA, Mr. Lukman Dauda, tilted, “Petition against the Implementation of the Federal Ministry of Education’s Textbook Ranking Policy” submitted to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary Education), Senator Lawal Adamu Usman, on Friday in Abuja.
The body, which represents over 200 organised publishing firms engaged in educational, academic, professional, and general publishing across Nigeria, said publishers that play a “central role in producing quality instructional materials that support teaching and learning” in the country’s educational development, were not properly carried along on the policy formulation.
The group expressed concerns that the proposed policy “poses significant risks to educational access, affordability, constitutional governance, market competition, and the sustainability of Nigeria’s indigenous publishing industry.”
The publishers faulted the policy, claiming its “implementation arrangements, operational guidelines, fee structures, and timelines had substantially been concluded prior to comprehensive stakeholder consultations.”
The group warned that the policy threatened fair competition and could destroy indigenous publishing, could create national textbook supply crisis, could lead to commercialisation of educational policy and increased costs of learning materials, and that it raised serious constitutional and federalism questions.
The group stated further that the policy undermines school autonomy and professional judgment, leading to abuse and perceived bias; inappropriate timing and disruptive ranking regime which could harm local content development.
“A policy of this magnitude should emerge from broad consultations involving publishers, state governments, teachers, school proprietors, education boards, parents, authors, booksellers, printers, and development partners,” the publishers stated.
The NPA, therefore, sought a legislative intervention because “the policy is inconsistent with international best practices” and could cause potential damage to the country’s educational development system.