The Federal Government says Nigerian students will receive 100 megabytes (MB) of free daily data to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms from Oct. 1.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced this on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of the Initiative for Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content in Nigeria.
“Let me let out the secret. This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1st, 2026,” Alausa said.
He said the initiative, implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in partnership with telecommunications operators and the ministry, would initially cover students in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
“Our ambition must be that, ultimately, no Nigerian learner should be denied access to quality educational content simply because he or she cannot afford data,” he said.
According to him, the cost of internet data remains a major barrier to digital education, particularly for children from low-income households.
Alausa said the programme would enable students to use mobile phones, tablets and computers to access educational resources without paying data charges.
The minister said the initiative would later be extended to other categories of learners.
He also disclosed that the government was working on measures to regulate internet access for children below 16 years.
“It will be regulating internet access to children below 16 years old,” he said, adding that further details would be announced later.
The NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the ministry and the commission would jointly approve educational platforms to be covered by the scheme.
He said the platforms would include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms and technical and vocational training platforms.
“The framework also adopts the operator’s consult model for the initial rollout of the initiative. Under this model, a daily zero-rated data allowance of 100 MB will be provided by the participating MNOs for usage on approved websites and platforms,” Shuaibu said.
He said the scheme would comply with telecommunications laws and regulations on cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection.
The NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said millions of students were unable to access digital learning platforms because of affordability challenges.
“The Zero-Rated Access Initiative exists to erase that line. Its principle is simple: no learner should be shut out of educational content because of where they live or what their family earns,” she said.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, represented by Adetunji Adeyemo, pledged continued support for initiatives promoting digital inclusion and affordable connectivity.
The NCC Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, identified MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Globacom among the major operators supporting the initiative.
He commended the operators for their “commitment to support its implementation by providing free data allowances for learners to access approved platforms.”
The minister also said more than 240,000 schools had been geo-mapped and geolocated nationwide as part of efforts to digitalise the education sector.
