Alausa Says Zero-Rated Access Will Make Digital Learning More Affordable Nationwide
The Federal Government has announced the removal of data charges for millions of Nigerian students accessing approved educational platforms under a new digital education initiative.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday at the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria.
Alausa said the intervention, introduced under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was designed to remove the cost of internet data as a barrier to accessing quality educational content.
“This initiative goes beyond connectivity. It is about putting learning within reach of children who may otherwise be unable to afford the data required to access it,” he said.
The minister said poverty, geographical location and limited access to conventional educational infrastructure should not prevent learners from accessing educational opportunities.
He noted that mobile phones, tablets and computers could serve as classrooms and libraries when the cost of accessing educational content was removed.
The initiative builds on previous efforts to provide free access to selected educational platforms, including the Nigeria Learning Passport, which was developed by the Federal Government, UNICEF and other partners to provide digital curriculum content to learners and teachers.
Alausa said the latest intervention was part of the government’s broader digitalisation agenda under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, alongside initiatives such as the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and Learner Identification Number.
He also announced plans for regulated internet access for children below 16 years as part of measures to strengthen online child protection.
Alausa said the growing use of digital platforms by children made it necessary to address online threats, including cyberattacks and other forms of harm.
The minister called for collaboration among the Federal Ministry of Education, state governments, the Nigerian Communications Commission, telecom operators, technology companies, development partners, schools and teachers.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason, described the high cost of data as a major barrier to digital learning and pledged the National Assembly’s support for measures aimed at using technology to bridge the education gap.
Senator Mohammed Muntari Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, also stressed the need to ensure that no Nigerian child is excluded from access to knowledge and educational opportunities.
Alausa said the government’s goal was to build an education system where “geography does not determine a child’s future” and poverty does not prevent learners from accessing knowledge.