The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Airtel Africa Foundation are strengthening digital inclusion in Nigeria through a partnership providing students with free access to digital learning resources.

The Deputy Representative of the UNICEF Nigeria Office, Rownak Khan, said the initiative was helping students acquire digital skills and access educational resources needed for academic development and future employment.

Ms Khan spoke during a visit to Government Senior Secondary School, Agege, participating in the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) initiative, which provides digital educational content developed to support teaching and learning.

She commended the Federal and Lagos State Ministries of Education and Airtel for supporting the initiative, particularly through zero-rating, which enables students to access the platform without data charges.

According to her, she is most grateful to Airtel for their partnership.

“Airtel has supported us with zero-rating, giving students airtime without any cost,” she said.

Ms Khan said the comprehensive initiative brought together stakeholders and technical support to expand learning opportunities.

She added that the partnership had reached more than 1,600 schools across 23 states.

She said the initiative began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when school closures disrupted classroom learning, prompting UNICEF to introduce the NLP to sustain educational access.

The UNICEF official disclosed that millions of children had been reached through the initiative, expressing hope that continued collaboration with the government will extend its benefits to more learners.

Similarly, Head of Programmes, Airtel Africa Foundation, Esi Prah, said digital inclusion remains central to the foundation’s commitment to improving learning outcomes and ensuring African youth are not left behind.

Ms Prah said the foundation was working with UNICEF and the Nigerian government to promote access to the NLP, which contains educational content developed for students.

She said the zero-rated platform enables learners to access educational resources free of charge while encouraging wider awareness to reach young people in underserved communities across Nigeria.

Ms Prah expressed satisfaction with the participation of girls in digital learning, noting that the initiative offers them opportunity to develop skills and benefit from technological advancements.

Meanwhile, a student at Government Senior College, Agege, Polatose Adjola, said the platform has improved her studies by providing explanations, exercises and classwork for difficult subjects.

Ms Adjola, the school’s head girl, said she was able to revisit lessons after school to understand challenging topics, describing the platform as instrumental in her academic performance.

She thanked the Lagos State Government, education authorities, UNICEF, Airtel and other partners for supporting students, pledging that learners would maximise the opportunity to improve their academic performance.

Another school visited was the Yaba College of Technology. 

(NAN)