March 29, 2025
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has launched 103 new academic textbooks authored by Nigerian scholars, marking a significant stride toward reducing the country’s reliance on foreign educational materials and contextualizing higher education for local realities.
The initiative, part of TETFund’s "1000 Textbooks Project," targets critical disciplines like engineering, medicine, and agriculture, where imported textbooks often lack relevance to Nigeria’s socioeconomic context .
Key Details of the Publication Drive
1. Subject Coverage:
- 32 titles in STEM fields, including Tropical Agricultural Engineering and Nigerian Case Studies in Civil Infrastructure
- 28 social science texts addressing Africa-centric development models
- 43 humanities volumes, such as Decolonized African Literature Curricula
2. Distribution Plan:
- Free copies to all 253 public tertiary institutions
- Subsidized sales to private universities at 40% below market rates
- Digital versions accessible via the TETFund e-Library portal
3. Author Incentives:
- 15% royalty share for creators
- Research grants for subsequent editions
- Priority consideration for promotion in academia
Addressing Longstanding Challenges
The project counters several systemic issues:
- Cost Burden: Imported textbooks cost 300% more locally due to forex pressures .
- Relevance Gap: Foreign texts often ignore Nigerian examples (e.g., using European climate data for agriculture courses) .
- Quality Control: TETFund subjected manuscripts to peer reviews by 412 professors across 29 disciplines .
Stakeholder Reactions
- Academia: University of Lagos Vice-Chancellor Folasade Ogunsola praised the move as "a game-changer for curriculum development" .
- Students: National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) hailed the affordability, noting prices average ₦5,000 vs. ₦25,000 for imports .
- Publishers: The Nigerian Publishers Association pledged to print 500,000 copies annually to sustain availability .
TETFund plans to:
1. Expand the project to 200 more titles by 2026
2. Establish translation units for indigenous language editions
3. Partner with African universities for cross-border adoption
With 2.1 million tertiary students battling textbook scarcity, this initiative could save Nigeria an estimated ₦120 billion annually in textbook imports while fostering locally rooted scholarship .
Key Points:
- 78% of Nigerian lecturers previously adapted foreign texts due to lack of alternatives
- Project funded by 2.5% of TETFund’s 2024 ₦400 billion allocation
- First print run: 1.2 million physical copies, 850,000 digital licenses
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Sources: The Guardian Nigeria | BusinessDay Education
