FG unveils 82 textbooks to boost teaching in tertiary institutions

The Federal Government on Wednesday unveiled 82 academic textbooks authored by Nigerian scholars to strengthen teaching and learning in tertiary institutions across the country.

 

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, presented the books at a public event in Abuja, describing the initiative as part of efforts to improve the quality of higher education in Nigeria.

 

Alausa said the books were developed under the Higher Education Book Development Intervention Project of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

 

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,” the minister said.

 

According to him, the intervention aims to address the shortage of locally authored textbooks and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on foreign publications.

 

The ministry noted that tertiary institutions in the country have increasingly relied on foreign textbooks, a trend that places pressure on foreign exchange and discourages indigenous authorship.

 

Alausa stressed the need to support Nigerian scholars in producing quality academic materials, particularly in fields critical to national development.

 

He said, “We must support Nigerian scholars in producing quality academic textbooks to ensure the availability of relevant learning materials across diverse disciplines, particularly in science, technology and engineering.”

 

Addressing the authors, the minister urged that the books should be made accessible beyond Nigerian institutions.

 

“We can liberalise the use of these books so that they become available worldwide. This effort is not about profit but the pursuit of academic excellence,” he said.

 

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, said the initiative was designed to address the persistent shortage of quality tertiary-level textbooks 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 established scholars and secured for use by beneficiary institutions.

 

Echono revealed that the fund has so far published 202 academic textbooks, with several others currently undergoing evaluation.

 

“We have published a total of 202 academic titles, and the distribution of more than 400,000 copies to beneficiary institutions across the country will commence immediately,” he said.

 

He added that TETFund had also reviewed aspects of the programme to ensure better resource management and value for money.

 

Under the revised arrangement, authors will receive monetary honoraria based on the size and content of their books, along with 20 complimentary copies, instead of the previous practice where authors received 1,000 copies of their publications.

 

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

 

Chairman of the TETFund Board of Trustees, Aminu Masari, described the late author’s contribution as a lasting legacy, noting that knowledge passed from generation to generation allows an individual’s impact to outlive their lifetime.

 

Masari also called for strategies to commercialise the books so that authors and their families can benefit from their intellectual contributions.