The Federal Government has announced that Nigerian students in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions will receive 100 megabytes (MB) of free daily data from October 1, 2026, to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms.
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 being implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in partnership with telecommunications operators, the Federal Ministry of Education and other stakeholders.
“Let me let out the secret. This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1st, 2026,” the minister said, acknowledging the contribution of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to the programme.
Under the framework, participating mobile network operators will provide eligible students with a daily zero-rated data allowance of 100MB, which can be used exclusively on approved educational websites and platforms.
Alausa said the programme would initially target students in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions before being extended to other categories of learners.
“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.
The minister identified the cost of internet data as a major barrier to digital learning, particularly for students from low-income households.
He said removing data charges from approved educational platforms would enable mobile phones, tablets and computers to serve as classrooms and digital libraries for learners who might otherwise be unable to access online resources.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government was developing measures to regulate internet access for children below 16 years, with further details expected to be announced.
According to him, digital educational content accessible to children must be “appropriate, credible, safe and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”
Alausa said the government was also advancing 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.
He disclosed that more than 240,000 schools had been geo-mapped and geolocated nationwide, while the government was digitising the Annual School Census to capture data on enrolment, teachers, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, connectivity and school safety.
The NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the commission and the Federal Ministry of Education would jointly determine the educational platforms to be whitelisted under the programme.
He said eligible platforms would include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training platforms.
Shuaibu said the initial rollout would adopt the operators’ “consult model,” under which participating mobile network operators would provide the 100MB daily zero-rated allowance for approved educational platforms.
He added that the framework included provisions on cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection, as well as safeguards for net neutrality, fair competition and inclusivity.
Earlier, the NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said millions of students were unable to access digital learning resources because of affordability challenges.
She said the initiative was designed to ensure that learners were not excluded from educational content because of their location or household income.
“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,” Makama said.
Makama said the NCC, participating mobile network operators under ALTON, the Federal Ministries of Communications and Education, and other stakeholders had conducted research, benchmarking, testing and consultations towards developing the framework.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, represented at the event by the Director, National Frequency Management Council Secretariat, Adetunji Adeyemo, described the initiative as a major step towards making digital education more affordable and accessible, particularly for learners in underserved communities.
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.
He commended the operators for their commitment to providing the free data allowances required for learners to access approved educational platforms.