The Nigerian Publishers Association has a problem with two proposals that could reshape how school textbooks are made and approved in the country, and they are not staying quiet about it.
At the center of the dispute is a proposed N2,000 per page charge tied to the textbook approval process. Publishers say the fee structure is burdensome and could push production costs higher at a time when affordable learning materials are already a challenge across Nigerian schools.
The association is also resisting a proposed textbook ranking system, which they argue raises concerns about how books would be evaluated and whether the criteria would be fair and transparent for all publishers, large or small.
The NPA's pushback signals growing tension between publishers and the regulatory bodies shaping Nigeria's education materials market. How this plays out could have real consequences for what ends up on students' desks, and at what price.
Originally published by BusinessDay.