By Ado Oyeyemi
The Federal Government has announced plans to provide Nigerian students with 100 megabytes of free data daily to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms from October 1, 2026.
The initiative is being implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission in collaboration with telecommunications operators and the Federal Ministry of Education.
The programme will initially benefit students in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions before being extended to other categories of learners.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria.
Alausa said the initiative was designed to reduce the financial burden of internet access on students and improve access to digital learning resources.
He said, “This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1st, 2026,” while acknowledging the support of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria for the programme.
Under the arrangement, participating mobile network operators will provide eligible students with a daily 100MB data allowance that can be used on government approved educational websites and platforms.
The minister said the government’s ultimate goal was to ensure that no Nigerian learner was prevented from accessing quality educational content because of an inability to afford internet data.
He noted that the high cost of data remained a significant obstacle to digital education, particularly for students from low income households.
Alausa explained that free access to educational platforms could enable mobile phones, tablets and computers to serve as classrooms and digital libraries for learners who might otherwise be unable to use such resources.
The minister also disclosed that the government was developing measures to regulate internet access for children below the age of 16, stressing that online educational content for young learners must be appropriate, credible, safe and consistent with the national curriculum.
Meanwhile, the NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the commission and the Ministry of Education would jointly determine the platforms to be included in the zero rating scheme.
He said the approved platforms would cover learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms and technical and vocational training resources.
According to Shuaibu, the framework requires participating operators to comply with existing telecommunications regulations on cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection, while also providing safeguards for fair competition and inclusivity.
The NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said millions of students were being prevented from using digital learning resources because of the cost of internet access.
Makama said the initiative was developed after research, benchmarking, testing and consultations involving the NCC, participating mobile network operators under ALTON, the Federal Ministries of Communications and Education and other stakeholders.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, represented at the event by the Director of the National Frequency Management Council Secretariat, Adetunji Adeyemo, described the programme as an important step towards improving digital inclusion and making education more accessible.
In his closing remarks, the NCC Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, identified MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Globacom among the major operators supporting the programme, commending them for providing the free data allowances for learners to access approved educational platforms.
The government also said it was accelerating the digitalisation of the education sector through initiatives including the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, Digital Nigeria Education Management Information System and the Learner Identification Number.
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Alausa disclosed that more than 240,000 schools had been geo mapped and geo located nationwide, while efforts were ongoing to digitise the Annual School Census to provide data on enrolment, teachers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, connectivity and school safety.
