The Federal Government has launched an initiative to eliminate data costs for access to approved educational platforms and content, in a move aimed at expanding digital learning opportunities for millions of Nigerian students.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, announced the initiative on Thursday at the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria, describing it as a major step towards ensuring that the cost of internet access does not prevent learners from accessing quality education.

Alausa said the intervention, implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, would particularly benefit students from low-income families and those living in underserved communities where access to conventional educational infrastructure remains limited.

According to him, a mobile phone, tablet or computer can serve as a classroom, library and gateway to opportunity when the cost of accessing educational content is removed.

The minister said the initiative was part of the broader digital transformation of the education sector under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which places data and digitalisation at the centre of education planning and delivery.

He explained that platforms such as the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and Learner Identification Number were being developed to strengthen education management, planning and service delivery.

However, Alausa stressed that the success of digital transformation would ultimately be measured by its impact on learners.

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

Alausa also disclosed that the government would introduce regulated internet access for children below the age of 16 as part of efforts to strengthen online child protection.

He said the welfare and dignity of Nigerian children must remain central to the country’s digital transformation, warning of the growing threats children face in the online environment, including cyberattacks and other forms of harm.

The minister said the planned measures were consistent with President Tinubu’s commitment to protecting the welfare and future of every Nigerian child.

Telecoms Critical to Digital Education

Alausa described telecommunications and internet connectivity as increasingly essential to education, just like classrooms, textbooks and laboratories.

He called for sustained collaboration among the Federal Ministry of Education, state governments, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), telecommunications operators, technology companies, development partners, educational institutions and teachers.

He said Nigeria must move beyond producing young people who merely consume technology to developing a generation capable of creating technology, innovating, solving problems and competing globally.

Lawmakers Commend Initiative

In his goodwill message, Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Hon. Peter Akpatason, commended the NCC for 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 use technology to bridge the education gap, particularly for learners in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.

Similarly, 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 supporting education through various corporate social responsibility initiatives, noting that access to knowledge remained fundamental to Nigeria’s development.

Alausa assured that the Federal Ministry of Education would continue to work with the NCC, state governments, telecommunications operators, educational institutions and development partners to ensure that the initiative delivers lasting benefits.

He said the ultimate objective 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 has the opportunity to realise their full potential.