The Federal Government has announced that Nigerian students will receive 100 megabytes of free data daily from October 1, 2026, to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms.
The initiative, being implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission in partnership with telecommunications operators and the Federal Ministry of Education, will initially target students in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
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.
“Let me let out the secret. This will be made available to Nigerian students from October 1st, 2026,” Alausa said.
Under the programme, participating mobile network operators will provide a daily zero-rated allowance of 100MB, which students can use to access approved educational websites and platforms without paying for the data.
Alausa said the initiative would initially cover senior secondary and tertiary students before being expanded 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 noted that the high cost of internet data remained a major obstacle to digital learning, particularly for students from low-income families.
He said affordable access to educational platforms could enable mobile phones, tablets and computers to serve as classrooms and libraries for students who might otherwise be excluded from digital education.
Alausa also disclosed that the government was developing measures to regulate internet access for children below 16, with further details expected to be announced.
He said such measures would ensure that educational content available to children is “appropriate, credible, safe and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”
The minister further said the government was expanding 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 Federal Ministry of Education and the commission would jointly approve the educational platforms to be included in the zero-rating programme.
He said the approved platforms could include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training platforms.
According to Shuaibu, the initiative will initially provide zero-rated access to students in public secondary schools and public tertiary institutions.
He added that the programme would comply with telecommunications regulations covering cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection, while also providing safeguards for net neutrality, fair competition and inclusivity.
The NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said millions of students were unable to access digital learning platforms because of the cost of internet data.
She said the initiative was designed to ensure that learners were not excluded from educational content because of their location or family income.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, represented at the event by Adetunji Adeyemo, described the programme as an important step towards improving affordable digital education, particularly for learners in underserved communities.
Meanwhile, 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 providing the free data allowance to enable students access approved educational platforms.