Breaking: FG scraps data costs for students, plans regulated internet for under-16s

The Federal Government has announced the removal of data costs for millions of Nigerian students accessing approved educational platforms in a major digital education intervention aimed at making learning resources more accessible to learners across the country.

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, saying the intervention would help ensure that the cost of internet connectivity did not determine who could access quality education.

Alausa said the initiative, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was designed to break one of the barriers limiting the expansion of digital learning in Nigeria.

“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, geography and limited access to conventional educational infrastructure should not prevent Nigerian learners from accessing educational opportunities.

He explained that a mobile phone, tablet or computer could serve as a classroom, library and gateway to opportunities when the cost of accessing educational content was removed.

FG targets digital education barriers

The intervention comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s persistent education crisis and a widening digital divide that has left many children and young people without reliable access to learning opportunities.

UNICEF has reported that millions of Nigerian children remain out of school, while access to digital learning is constrained by inadequate connectivity, electricity and digital literacy, particularly in rural communities.

The situation has made the cost and availability of data an important consideration as the government and development partners increasingly turn to digital platforms to supplement conventional classrooms.

Nigeria has previously introduced zero-rated access to some educational content. UNICEF has reported that data costs were removed for users accessing the Nigeria Learning Passport through whitelisting on an Airtel SIM, while connectivity was also extended to schools in hard-to-reach communities.

The Nigeria Learning Passport was developed by the Federal Government, UNICEF and other partners to provide digital curriculum content to learners and teachers and expand access to education beyond the conventional classroom.

Initiative linked to education digitalisation

Against this background, Alausa said the latest intervention was part of a broader effort to transform the education sector through digitalisation under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative.

He said the Federal Ministry of Education was strengthening the management and delivery of education through initiatives including the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and Learner Identification Number.

However, Alausa stressed that the success of the government’s digital reforms would ultimately be measured by their impact on learners.

“The real measure of digital transformation would be its ability to reach the learner and improve the quality of education,” he said.

The minister also called for sustained collaboration among the Federal Ministry of Education, state governments, the Nigerian Communications Commission, telecommunications operators, technology companies, development partners, educational institutions and teachers.

FG plans regulated internet for under-16s

Alausa also announced plans for regulated internet access for children below the age of 16 as part of measures to strengthen child protection online.

He said the increasing use of digital platforms by children made it necessary for the government and other stakeholders to address threats in the online environment, including cyberattacks and other forms of harm.

“At some point, there would be regulated internet access for every child below the age of 16 years as part of measures to strengthen online child protection,” he said.

The announcement adds a child-protection dimension to the government’s digital education agenda, with Alausa stressing that expanding access to technology must be accompanied by measures to safeguard children.

Lawmakers commend zero-rated access

The Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Peter Akpatason, commended the initiative, describing the high cost of data as one of the major barriers to learning in the digital age.

Akpatason said the House of Representatives remained committed to policies and legislative measures that would leverage technology to bridge the education gap, particularly for learners in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Mohammed Muntari Dandutse, stressed the need to ensure that no Nigerian child was left behind in accessing knowledge and educational opportunities.

Dandutse commended the telecommunications industry for its contributions to education, including corporate social responsibility initiatives aimed at supporting children and expanding access to learning.

FG seeks wider access to digital learning

The initiative comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to digitise Nigeria’s education system, improve learner identification and strengthen the management of education data.

Alausa assured that the Ministry of Education would continue working with the NCC, state governments, telecommunications operators, educational institutions and development partners to ensure that the zero-rated access initiative translated into lasting benefits.

He said the government’s goal was to build an education system where “geography does not determine a child’s future, poverty does not close the door to knowledge,” and every Nigerian learner had an opportunity to realise their full potential.