FG presents 82 textbooks to strengthen tertiary education

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, on Wednesday, presented 82 academic textbooks authored by Nigerian scholars to strengthen teaching and learning in tertiary institutions across the country.

Speaking at the public presentation in Abuja, Alausa said the books were developed under the Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

He added that the fund also secured an additional 10 academic textbooks for distribution to tertiary institutions nationwide.

“This initiative underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to quality education and the promotion of academic excellence in Nigeria’s higher education system,” Alausa said.

He explained that the intervention aims to address the shortage of locally authored textbooks and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign publications.

According to the ministry, Nigerian tertiary institutions had increasingly relied on foreign textbooks, putting “pressure on foreign exchange and discouraging indigenous authorship.”

He stressed the importance of supporting Nigerian scholars in “producing quality academic textbooks to ensure the availability of relevant learning materials across diverse disciplines, particularly in science, technology, and engineering, which are critical to national development.”

He also addressed the authors directly, saying, “We can liberalise the use of these books so that they become available worldwide. I assure the authors that this is not about money; you have not undertaken this work for profit, but for the pursuit of academic excellence.

“Therefore, we must find a way to make these books accessible beyond tertiary institutions.”

The Executive Secretary of TETFund,  Sonny Echono, said the initiative was designed to address the persistent shortage of quality tertiary-level textbooks in Nigeria and strengthen teaching, learning, and research in higher institutions.

He disclosed that 72 of the titles were newly authored under the TETFund project, while 10 others were written by reputable scholars and secured for use by beneficiary institutions.

The ES said, “The persistent shortage of high-quality tertiary-level textbooks in Nigeria has long posed a major challenge to teaching, learning, and research.

“Beyond the issue of limited quantity, there has also been a compelling need to improve the quality of locally produced academic textbooks.

“It was this concern that led to the establishment of the TETFund Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project, a strategic initiative designed to bridge this gap and promote the development of credible, locally authored academic resources.”

Echono revealed that the fund has published 202 academic textbooks to date, with several others undergoing evaluation.

“We have so far published a total of 202 titles of academic textbooks, while several others are currently undergoing evaluation. At the end of today, we shall commence the distribution of over 400,000 of these books to our Beneficiary Institutions across the country,” he said.

He added, “It is also pertinent to note that, in our continued effort to ensure prudent management of resources and value for money, TETFund has reviewed certain operational modalities under the project.

“Authors will now receive monetary honoraria based on the content and number of pages in their books, along with 20 complimentary copies, rather than the previous practice of receiving 1,000 copies of their publications.”

Earlier, participants observed a minute’s silence in honour of Valerie Young Harry, one of the authors who passed away shortly before the event.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees at TETFund, Aminu Masari, described the late author’s work as a lasting legacy, noting that knowledge passed from generation to generation ensures a person’s impact outlives their lifetime.

Masari stressed the importance of applying knowledge practically and called for strategies to commercialise the books so authors and their families can benefit from their intellectual contributions.

Culled from punch