Alausa Takes Education Digital, Removes Data Barrier for Millions of Learners By Beauty Akporido Aroh
The Federal Government has launched a zero-rated digital education initiative designed to remove data costs from access to approved educational platforms and content, opening a new front in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Nigeria’s education sector.
Unveiling the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, declared that the cost of internet data must no longer shut Nigerian learners out of quality education.
Alausa said the intervention would particularly benefit learners from low-income households and communities where access to conventional educational infrastructure remains limited, stressing that digital connectivity has become an essential component of modern education.
According to him, a mobile phone, tablet or computer can become 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 Federal Government’s broader education transformation programme under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which places digitalisation and education data infrastructure at the heart of reforms.
He pointed to the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and Learner Identification Number as key platforms being developed to strengthen education planning, management and service delivery.
However, Alausa said the real test of Nigeria’s digital transformation would be its impact on the learner.
He declared that technology must not merely create digital infrastructure but must translate into wider access, better learning outcomes and greater opportunities for Nigerian children and young people.
The Minister also announced plans for regulated internet access for children below 16 years, describing the proposed measure as part of government’s broader effort to protect Nigerian children from emerging dangers in the digital environment.
He said the welfare and dignity of children must remain at the centre of Nigeria’s digital education strategy, particularly as cyberattacks and other forms of online harm continue to present new challenges.
Alausa called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Ministry of Education, state governments, Nigerian Communications Commission, telecommunications operators, technology companies, development partners, educational institutions and teachers to ensure that digital education becomes accessible, safe and relevant.
He challenged stakeholders to move Nigeria beyond producing young people who merely consume technology, saying the country must build a generation capable of creating technology, innovating, solving problems and competing globally.
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 most significant barriers to education in the digital age.
Akpatason reaffirmed the commitment of the House of Representatives to policies and legislative measures that leverage technology to bridge Nigeria’s education divide, particularly for learners in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Mohammed Muntari Dandutse, said no Nigerian child should be left behind in accessing knowledge and educational opportunities.
He commended the telecommunications industry for its contributions to expanding access to learning, including through corporate social responsibility interventions supporting children and educational development.
Alausa assured that the Federal Ministry of Education would continue working with the NCC, state governments, telecommunications operators, educational institutions and development partners to ensure that the initiative delivers lasting impact.
He said the digital education drive was ultimately about building an education system where geography does not determine a child’s future, poverty does not close the door to knowledge, and every Nigerian learner can realise his or her full potential.
