Alausa removes data barrier to digital education for all learners
By Uji A. Iliyasu, Abuja
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has launched an initiative to provide zero-rated access to approved educational platforms and content for millions of Nigerian learners, removing data costs as a barrier to digital learning.
Alausa, who launched the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria on Thursday, said the intervention was designed to ensure that poverty, geography and the cost of internet connectivity did not determine access to quality education.
He said 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, particularly for learners from low-income families and communities with limited access to conventional educational infrastructure.
The minister said the initiative formed part of the Federal Government’s broader transformation of the education sector under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), with digitalisation and data-driven planning at its core.
He said the Ministry is strengthening education planning, management and service delivery through the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, the Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and the Learner Identification Number.
Alausa, however, stressed that the success of digital transformation would ultimately be measured by its impact on learners and the quality of education they receive.
The minister also announced plans for regulated internet access for children below 16 years as part of measures to strengthen the protection of Nigerian children from online threats.
He said the wellbeing and dignity of children must remain central to the country’s digital education strategy, warning that stakeholders needed to remain vigilant against cyberattacks and other forms of online harm.
“At some point, there would be regulated internet access for every child below the age of 16 years,” Alausa said, noting that the measure would form part of efforts to create a safer digital environment for children.
He further highlighted the growing importance of the telecommunications industry to education, saying internet connectivity was becoming as essential to learning as classrooms, textbooks and laboratories.
Alausa called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Ministry of Education, state governments, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), telecommunications operators, technology companies, development partners, educational institutions and teachers to make digital education accessible, safe and relevant.
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.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, 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 reaffirmed the commitment of the House of Representatives 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, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Mohammed Muntari Dandutse, said efforts must be sustained 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 through corporate social responsibility initiatives aimed at supporting children and expanding access to learning.
He said access to knowledge remained fundamental to Nigeria’s development and progress.
Alausa assured Nigerians that the Federal Ministry of Education would continue to work with the NCC, state governments, telecommunications operators, educational institutions, development partners and other stakeholders to ensure that the zero-rated education initiative delivered sustainable benefits.
He said the Federal Government remained committed to using technology to break barriers to learning and expand educational opportunities, irrespective of learners’ geographical location or economic circumstances.