The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has launched a new initiative that will provide eligible Nigerians with up to 100 megabytes of free data daily to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms.
The initiative, known as the Zero-Rated Data Access to Educational Platforms and Content, is designed to reduce the cost of internet access and make digital education more affordable and accessible across the country.
The NCC disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by its Director of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoh, following the launch of the programme on Thursday.
Under the operator-sponsored arrangement, eligible users will receive up to 100MB daily when accessing approved educational platforms. This amounts to about 700MB weekly, 3GB monthly and 36.5GB annually per user.
The initiative is targeted at addressing the cost of internet connectivity, which the commission identified as one of the major barriers to participation in digital learning.
Speaking on the programme, NCC Executive Vice-Chairman, Aminu Maida, linked the initiative to President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy, stressing that a skilled and productive population would be crucial to achieving the target.
“We need to appreciate how critical education is to economic development because of the role of human capital,” Maida said.
He explained that government programmes aimed at developing digital skills could have limited impact if Nigerians could not afford the internet connectivity required to access online learning resources.
“This is where this initiative is very critical,” he added.
According to Maida, the daily 100MB allocation might appear small, but its cumulative impact could be significant when extended to millions of students and learners.
He described the initiative as a long-term investment by the telecommunications industry in Nigeria’s human capital and economic future.
The NCC said the programme would also help bridge educational disparities between regions by allowing students in areas facing shortages of teachers and educational resources to access expertise and learning materials available elsewhere.
“The gap between certain regions of the country where you would have a deficit in terms of teachers and other regions where you would have a surplus, connectivity is going to bridge that gap,” Maida said.
Initially, access will be restricted to educational platforms assessed, approved and whitelisted by the regulator.
The approved categories include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, as well as technical and vocational education and training platforms.
The NCC Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the Federal Ministry of Education and the commission would jointly approve platforms participating in the scheme.
Participating platforms will also be required to comply with telecommunications, cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection regulations.
The framework, according to the NCC, will equally incorporate safeguards for net neutrality and fair competition.
The initiative is expected to impose additional costs on mobile network operators as participation expands. Industry stakeholders have estimated that providing the service to five million students could cost about N15 billion monthly, or N180 billion annually.
However, Maida described the expenditure as a strategic investment, arguing that increased productivity from beneficiaries would ultimately create opportunities for the telecommunications industry and the wider economy.
The NCC said the 100MB daily limit was designed to ensure the sustainability of the programme while usage and impact are monitored.
Participating platforms are also being encouraged to optimise their content and reduce data consumption by limiting advertisements and improving the delivery of educational materials.
The commission will monitor platform usage, data consumption, network performance, consumer complaints, service availability and regulatory compliance to determine whether the programme should be expanded or adjusted.
NCC Chairman, Idris Olorunnimbe, described the initiative as evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to education, while the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, commended the commission for addressing the cost barrier to digital learning.
