Nigerian Students To Get 100MB Free Daily Data From October 1

“Today’s launch represents much more than telecommunications initiative. It is an education intervention. It is an inclusion intervention and most importantly, it is an investment in the future of millions of young Nigerians,” he said.

Alausa said the government could not build a 21st-century education system with 20th-century tools, stressing that access to data had become essential to managing Nigeria’s education system and preparing young people for an increasingly digital economy.

He said the zero-rated programme 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.

He noted that internet data costs remained a major barrier to digital education, particularly for children from low-income households. He said zero-rated access could turn mobile phones, tablets and computers into classrooms and libraries for learners.

NCC Director of Policy, Competitions and Economic Analysis, Ayuba Shuaibu, said the Federal Ministry of Education and the commission would jointly approve the educational websites and platforms to be whitelisted under the initiative.

He said eligible platforms would include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training platforms.

“The framework also adopts the operator’s consult model for the initial rollout of the initiative. Under this model, a daily zero-rated data allowance of 100 MB will be provided by the participating MNOs for usage on approved websites and platforms,” Shuaibu said.

He added that the scheme would provide zero-rated access to public secondary schools and public tertiary institutions, while requiring compliance with telecommunications regulations covering cybersecurity, consumer protection, child protection and data protection.

Earlier, NCC Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said millions of students were unable to access digital learning platforms because of affordability challenges.

She said the initiative was intended 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.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, represented by Director of the National Frequency Management Council Secretariat, Adetunji Adeyemo, described the initiative as a significant step towards making digital education more affordable and accessible, particularly for learners in underserved communities.

In his closing remarks, NCC Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, identified MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Globacom among the major mobile network operators supporting the programme.

He thanked the operators for their commitment to implementing the initiative through free data allowances that will enable learners to access approved educational platforms.

Alausa also disclosed that the government was working on measures to regulate internet access for children below 16 years, with further details expected to be announced. He said educational content available to children must be “appropriate, credible, safe and aligned with our educational objectives and our curriculum.”