By Modupe Gbadeyanka
One of the GSM network providers in the country, Airtel Nigeria, said it has now heavily subsidised data and mobile Internet for all Nigerian schools and students using the Dynamiss Learning Management Systems.
This was as a result of the partnership between Airtel Nigeria and Dynamiss, an educational technology company in the country.
Airtel Nigeria is one firm that is committed to accelerating and deepening the growth of online education in Nigeria.
Schools have been remained shut in the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and online learning has been the new normal among students.
However, internet penetration and cost of data have made it quite difficult for the majority of pupils and students to key into online education.
But under the partnership, both organisations have ensured that data access for educational purposes on any of the platforms provided by Dynamiss will now be subsidized and made more affordable for schools and young Nigerians.
Specifically, customers of Airtel Nigeria who access the Dynamiss platforms will now enjoy up to 50 per cent discount on data/mobile Internet charges effective immediately.
This discount also applies to schools, students and even parents on the Airtel network who use any of the educational platforms provided Dynamiss.
Commenting on the new initiative, Valerie Sodeinde, COO of Dynamiss, said that “the discounted data from Airtel is a key game changer for the adoption of online/digital education by most schools in Nigeria.
“What Airtel is demonstrating with this particular initiative is a commitment to support education despite the unrelenting threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As many more schools have now developed an appreciation for an online educational system, parents, teachers and schools will most certainly benefit from this very affordable data plan. This decisive initiative by Airtel is a positive response that will be welcomed by educators and students alike.”
Whilst online education platforms cannot fully replace conventional schools’ they now constitute a whole new way of learning in the 21st century.
In recent months since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Microsoft has recorded that more than 350 million subscribers now use its educational platforms and this number continues to increase daily across the globe.
Dynamiss, a Microsoft Partner Organisation, is one of the nation’s foremost educational technology companies and is currently providing Learning Management Systems (LMS), Virtual Robotics, Virtual Laboratories, Secure Examination Portals and Certified Online Training for Teachers on Digital Education Tools, for a variety of schools across the nation.
In collaboration with Microsoft and in a bid to help schools adopt digital technology rapidly, Dynamiss is currently giving every school in Nigeria its Dynamiss Learning Management LP365 System completely free till the start of September 2020.