…Nigeria Learning Passport records over 2.5 million registered students
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Airtel Africa and the Federal Government have continued to strengthen efforts to expand access to free digital learning, skills development and livelihood opportunities for children and young people across Nigeria.
The partnership, which has connected nearly 2,000 schools nationwide, has reached about one million students and more than 20,000 teachers, including over 19,000 teachers trained in digital literacy.
This development was highlighted during a joint UNICEF-Airtel Africa delegation’s visits to schools and youth programmes in Lagos and Abuja to assess the impact of digital learning initiatives supported by the partnership.
The delegation, led by Garreth Spillane, Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Airtel Africa, visited Government Senior College, Agege, and St George’s U.N.A. Primary School in Lagos, where students and teachers demonstrated the use of digital learning platforms, including artificial intelligence tools, in classroom activities.
At Yaba College of Technology, the delegation also observed how the Passport to Earning initiative and the Youth Agency Marketplace, known as YOMA, are equipping young people with digital, employability and entrepreneurial skills.
A key component of the partnership is the removal of data-cost barriers through the zero-rating of selected educational platforms. These include the Nigeria Learning Passport, the Federal Ministry of Education’s Inspire and Ignite platforms, the Digital National Education Management Information System and YOMA.
According to a press statement made available to newsmen, the Nigeria Learning Passport has recorded more than 2.5 million registered students and nearly 100,000 registered teachers.
In Abuja, the delegation held discussions with the Office of the Vice President and the Federal Ministry of Education on measures to improve reliable connectivity, access to quality digital content, teacher training, inclusive learning, data management, child online safety and sustainable funding for digital education.
The partners reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the identified priorities to improve learning outcomes and ensure that more children benefit from digital education.
Speaking on the initiative, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rownak Khan, said access to free digital learning could help bridge the digital divide while bringing children and young people closer to the knowledge, skills and opportunities needed to shape their future.
Khan noted that the partnership was supporting teachers and creating pathways from learning to earning, stressing that girls, children with disabilities and those in underserved communities must be among the first to benefit.
Similarly, Spillane said connectivity could create transformative opportunities when it enabled students to access quality digital learning and helped teachers use digital tools effectively.
He reaffirmed Airtel Africa’s commitment to working with UNICEF and governments to connect schools, remove data-cost barriers through zero-rated learning platforms and support teachers across the continent.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, said transforming education in Nigeria required strong partnerships aligned with government priorities and learners’ needs.
She emphasised the need to strengthen teachers’ capacity, expand access to quality digital content, protect children online and ensure that digital learning reached every child, irrespective of location.
