Due to a large number of out-of-school children and pervasive learning poverty, Nigeria is experiencing a serious Education crisis. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates, 10.2 million Nigerian children are not attending primary school, and 8.1 million are not attending junior secondary school, meaning that one in three of them are not in school. The absence of basic Literacy and numeracy abilities in many kids, particularly in underprivileged communities, exacerbates this problem and contributes to low academic achievement across the country. For instance, 76% of applicants in 2024 did not pass the UTME Exam and reach the university admissions criteria.
Declining educational standards, bad infrastructure, and insufficient budget are blamed for the situation. The Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), an online and offline platform that offers curriculum-aligned resources like interactive lessons, digital textbooks, and self-paced modules, was introduced by the Nigerian government in partnership with UNICEF to address this issue. Even in rural locations, this program seeks to guarantee fair access to high-quality education. The NLP has been commended by educators and learners for its user-friendliness, extensive material, and capacity to improve learning effectiveness and engagement.
Stakeholders support better infrastructure in rural regions.
Over a million users have signed up for the platform, demonstrating its increasing popularity and influence. Even with its success, issues like erratic Internet Access and sluggish loading times still exist. By 2028, plans call for training hundreds of thousands of instructors, reaching over 10 million youngsters, and involving parents. Stakeholders support better infrastructure, internet connection in rural regions, and ongoing oversight to optimise the NLP’s capacity to revolutionise Nigerian education. Although the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) has made progress in tackling the nation’s educational issues, there are still many major barriers to overcome.
In rural locations, where many marginalised children reside, the absence of dependable internet connectivity is one of the major problems. These students have trouble using the platform’s capabilities to their full potential without reliable internet access, and relying too much on mobile data frequently leads to sluggish loading times and low user engagement. Furthermore, a major obstacle for many families is still the availability and cost of gadgets like Smartphones and tablets. To further exacerbate the digital gap, a UNICEF survey found that more than 40% of families in rural Nigeria do not have access to a digital device.
Gov’t can work with private sector to set up community learning centres.
More so, NLP has proven to have a revolutionary effect on education in spite of these difficulties. Students at Government Senior College in Agege, including 14-year-old Bolade Ayomide, have reaped significant benefits. Ayomide stated that the platform’s interactive animations and quizzes had increased her confidence in her academic abilities by simplifying difficult subjects like biology. Likewise, educators in Edo State who are part of the “EdoBest” program have reported higher levels of student participation. Akintunde Osaro, a geography instructor, for example, claimed that the platform’s content has improved pupils’ understanding of important subjects and made lesson delivery simpler.
Furthermore, stakeholders have put out a number of workable options to address the ongoing difficulties. These include giving pupils access to inexpensive or subsidised gadgets, extending Broadband Infrastructure to underprivileged and rural locations, and providing training courses for educators to master the platform. The government can also work with private organisations and businesses to set up community learning centres that have digital resources. Gaps can be found and filled with the use of ongoing data gathering and monitoring on NLP usage, guaranteeing that the platform adapts to all users’ needs. Although detailed information on the platform’s overall impact is still being gathered, preliminary reviews are encouraging.
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UNICEF reports that 91% of NLP users reported better learning results and increased classroom confidence. Because they can work with the materials on their own before class, teachers have reported less stress. Furthermore, following a year of NLP deployment, a pilot program in Edo State revealed a 15% rise in literacy rates among participating students. These quantifiable enhancements highlight how the platform may help decrease Nigeria’s educational gap. The Nigeria Learning Passport has the potential to bring about major, long-lasting changes in the nation’s Educational System by plugging infrastructure gaps, guaranteeing fair device distribution, and continuously improving the platform in response to user input.