Nigerian students enjoy free data for studying

Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, has indicated that students will soon enjoy free educational data access from October 1, as part of the government’s initiative to streamline learning in tertiary institutions.

Alausa noted that the program will run under the Access to Educational Platforms and Zero-Rated Content initiative.

The initiative, organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), was launched on Thursday as part of President Bola Tinubu’s New Hope Agenda (RHA), which is designed to benefit students from low-income households and communities with limited access to conventional educational infrastructure.

Alausa said: “This is about putting learning within reach of children who may not be able to afford the data necessary to access it.”

He also hinted at the government’s plans to introduce internet access regulations for teenagers under the age of 16 as part of efforts to protect young Nigerians from cyber attacks and other online threats.

Alausa explained that the planned regulations will protect minors from undue exposure to digital platforms, which he said are on the rise.

According to the minister, the program will initially provide 100 megabytes of free data daily to around five million students who are eligible to access approved educational platforms and digital learning content.

He said: “The 100MB daily allocation for five million students amounts to about 15 billion megabytes of data every month and represents an estimated data value of N180 billion annually.”

The minister described this initiative as a major intervention in education, especially for students in underserved communities and families who cannot afford regular internet data.

“Let me spill the beans. It will be available to Nigerian students from October 1, 2026,” he said at the launch.

According to him, this initiative has moved from discussion to implementation, driven by the need to democratize access to educational resources regardless of student location or economic circumstances.

Alausa noted that more than 240,000 schools have been geo-mapped and geo-located, while the digitized Nigerian Education Management Information System provides data on enrollment, teachers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries and connectivity.

The Minister added that the Learner Identification Number (LIN) will give each learner a unique educational identity and enable the government to track their educational journey from primary to tertiary level.

Alausa said the scheme would start with high school students and college students. He added that the government plans to expand it to other categories of students in the future.

This initiative is a follow-up to NCC-led consultations with telecom operators, education stakeholders and other industry participants regarding the removal of data charges from approved educational websites and platforms.

NCC Executive Deputy Chairman (EVC), Dr. Aminu Maida, said the initiative is about more than connectivity, describing access to knowledge as the foundation for innovation, productivity and economic growth.

“It’s not about providing connectivity; it’s about providing connectivity for people to gain knowledge,” Maida said.

He said that he had personally experienced the ease of online learning through the courses he took, but noted that the benefits would be greater for underprivileged Nigerians.

Maida praised the participation of telecom operators in this initiative, and said that the industry continues to invest heavily in network capacity despite difficult operational conditions.

He revealed that the operator had committed to upgrading about 12,000 locations this year, and about 70 percent had been completed.

According to him, NCC will continue to prioritize connectivity in unserved and underserved communities, noting that each newly connected community will provide more opportunities for students to learn digitally.