Education

Airtel to Digitalise 620 Primary Schools in Lagos, Kano, Others

Published

3 years ago

04/12/2022

By Dipo Olowookere

Six hundred and twenty schools in Lagos, Kano and other states of the federation will have access to the internet and devices aimed to aid digital learning.

This would be done in three months, with 20 schools in Lagos and Kano States enjoying this initiative this month courtesy of a partnership between Airtel Nigeria and UNICEF.

Airtel is making this possible for the 620 primary schools under the Reimagine Education Initiative, with 300,000 pupils expected to benefit from the scheme.

In an MOU signing ceremony to flag off the initiative at the weekend in Lagos, Airtel said it had completed the process of providing free access to the two digital platforms for the targeted beneficiaries, as it has committed $1.3 million worth of complimentary data for the two platforms and data provision for learners in the year alone.

It was gathered that in the first year of the five-year partnership, Airtel would provide all the resources for digital learning to the 620 identified schools, including reliable broadband connectivity, tablets, and free access to a world-class curriculum through the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP).

NLP, developed by the Federal Ministry of Education, UNICEF and Microsoft, is an e-learning platform with online and offline capabilities that enables continuous access to quality education, Airtel’s support will benefit students with uninterrupted access to quality learning materials.

The leading GSM provider is also providing free access for any Airtel subscriber to Youth Agency Market Place (YOMA), a UNICEF digital platform for skilling, upskilling and encouraging young people’s engagement.

Currently, YOMA has 115,000 users in Nigeria. This number is expected to grow with Airtel support, especially for young people living in hard-to-reach areas with no to low access to data or connectivity.

“Education, especially digital learning, forms a significant part of the company’s sustainability agenda for Nigeria, and it will stop at nothing to bridge the huge digital gap that currently exists in mostly rural primary schools across the country,” the chief executive of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Surendran Chemmenkotil, said at the unveiling of the campaign.

Speaking further, he said, “With this programme and partnership, we are providing both world-class education and digital inclusion for thousands of underprivileged children, and our goal is to connect, empower and transform as many children and young people as possible.

“Education is power, and connectivity provides the leverage to become unstoppable. At Airtel, we are confident that this investment will not just transform lives but will create a wonderful future for millions of Nigerian children and young people.”

“This is an important milestone and a step closer to reducing the digital divide in Nigeria. Quality digital learning is the fastest route to improving learning and equipping children and young people with the 21st-century skills needed to fulfil their potential and live their dreams.

“We are delighted that Airtel Nigeria shares UNICEF’s vision and will help in driving the process to scale-up access to digital learning for children and young people across these schools,” UNICEF’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, said.

The Re-imagine education project is a five-year partnership between Airtel and UNICEF to help accelerate the roll-out of digital learning by connecting schools to the internet and ensuring free access to learning platforms across 13 countries. By providing equal access to quality digital learning, particularly for the most vulnerable children, the partnership will help to ensure that every child reaches his/her full potential.

Up Next

Stanbic IBTC Revamps Kurba Primary School in Gombe

Don't Miss

Airtel to Accelerate Digital Learning for Nigerian Children

Dipo Olowookere

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

Click to comment

Education

Why AI Education Should be Integrated into Nigeria’s School Curriculum

Published

4 days ago

10/07/2025

Business Post Contributor

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a driving force of the fourth educational revolution and a major carrier of the technological progress that is changing societies and economies globally.

Integrating AI into Nigeria`s school curriculum presents a transformative opportunity to improve learning outcomes, enhance teacher’s effectiveness, and enhance quality education.

The integration of AI into Nigeria’s school curriculum can enable the creation of advanced e-learning platforms that simulate classroom experience, automate repetitive tasks, and analyze data to optimize educational content.

AI`s growing influence on all aspects of daily life and society is reshaping the world, making AI literacy an essential skill for everyone. As a result, AI concepts should increasingly be integrated into both formal school curricula and out of school learning systems. AI literacy is now widely regarded as a critical competency that young learners must develop to thrive as future creators and innovators. AI should be an apparatus for learning so as to eliminate irrelevant courses in the curriculum and must be introduced from an early age.

There are other obstacles, such as the fact that many schools still lack computers, internet connection, and qualified staff. AI, on the other hand, has the potential to be a game changing equalizer by providing standardized, superior resources such as internet infrastructure regardless of location.

Benefit of Introducing AI Into Nigeria’s School Curriculum

The power of AI is undeniable, and understanding the pros and cons of Artificial intelligence in education is essential for making informed decisions. Some of the advantages of AI include the following;

It provides student with immediate feedback

AI offers students instantaneous and detailed feedback on their work, helping them to see their strengths and weaknesses. Such feedback enhances understanding and learning outcomes and helps teachers to know what to focus on in future lessons.

It can result in more inclusive class sessions
AI has powerful tools that make previously inaccessible material available to students with special needs. Tools that offer text-to- speech, visual recognition, and more can help teachers adapt resources so that all students have an equal learning opportunity.

It fosters critical thinking

The advent and use of AI in classrooms lends itself to discussions regarding critical thinking and ethical considerations. Introducing AI can help them grow and develop as thinkers, learners and problem solvers.

It helps in advanced learning

The introduction of AI into school curriculum can help generate custom learning materials, such as quizzes, flashcards, and even entire lessons tailored to a student`s strengths and weaknesses.

Enhance efficiency

Artificial intelligence provides numerous benefits such as time saving capabilities, reducing errors, increasing efficiency, accuracy, effectiveness and unbiased decision making in teaching and learning process.

Improved motivation and engagement

Integrating AI into school curriculum can create more interactive and engaging learning experiences that can help students focus on their learning.

Conclusion

Integrating AI into Nigeria`s school curriculum is not just an option, but a necessity for preparing the students, fostering innovations, and driving national development preparing them for a real-world experience. Educators must be trained to use AI effectively without sacrificing the essential role of human interactions and mentorship in learning.

Emmanuel Otori is the Chief Executive Officer at Mangrove Technologies Ltd. He has had experience working on a variety of projects with the World Bank, GiZ, Mastercard Foundation, Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) etc. He has impacted over 1000 businesses in creating a sustainable business model.

Education

EduFuture Conference 2025 to Revolutionize Education Via Tech

Published

5 days ago

09/07/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

All is set for the EduFuture Conference 2025 themed Innovating for Equity: Rethinking Education for a Changing World, taking place on Thursday, July 10 in Lagos.

The summit is a premier gathering of Africa’s brightest minds in education, technology, and policy-making. It is designed to revolutionize education through innovation and technology.

For this year’s event, in its second edition, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kwara State on Education, Policy Formulation and Human Capital Development, Adétọlá Ariyíkẹ́ Salau, will deliver the keynote address, outlining actionable strategies for transforming Africa’s education landscape.

The sessions will be moderated by a renowned project manager, analyst, and educator, Ngunan Gertrude Fwaodo, and will be joined by speakers and thought leaders like the Chief Responsibility Officer of The Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation, Tobiloba Ajayi; the Programs Director for Teach for Nigeria, Bosede Ogidan; the founder of Edward Consulting, Bimpe Femi-Oyewo; a child rights advocate, Isaac Success Omoyele; the Executive Director of Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation, Toyin Olanrewaju; the founder of Brace-up The Young, Obasanjo Fajemirokun; the Head of Operations and Programs at Civic Hive, Temidayo Musa; and the Coordinator for African Leadership Academy, Temitope Ifegbesan.

A statement from the organisers said attendees would get an exclusive first look at StratED Futures, a new social enterprise dedicated to driving systemic change in education through policy innovation and impact-led consulting.

Convened by the founder of Dolly Children Foundation, Adedolapo Osuntuyi, it was stated that the conference would be a pivotal moment for education reform in Africa.

With a focus on policy innovation, digital learning, and community-driven solutions, the conference will foster dynamic discussions on key themes including education policy and governance, EdTech and digital learning, social impact and education entrepreneurship, future of work and 21st-century skills, and grassroots innovation and community engagement.

Education

JAMB Fixes University Admission Cut-Off Mark for 2025 at 150

Published

6 days ago

08/07/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The cut-off mark for admission into universities in Nigeria for the 2025/2026 academic session has been set at 150 by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Also, the agency fixed 140 as the minimum score for colleges of nursing sciences, while the score for polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture is 100.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, JAMB said, “The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions).”

It was gathered that this decision was reached today at the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions and the 5th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions and Performance-Merit Award (NATAP-M) at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The event had in attendance several stakeholders in the educational sector in the country, including officials of tertiary institutions.

The entry exams conducted by JAMB this year was without controversies. The agency was called out because of poor outcome as the majority of candidates could not score above 200.

At the meeting today, the Registrar of JAMB, Mr Ishaq Oloyede, announced a candidate from Anambra State, Christian Chinedu Okeke, as the best candidate of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) with 375, followed by Ayuba Simon-Peter John from Gombe State with 374 and Jimoh Abdulmalik Olayinka from Kwara State with 373.

The top 10 candidate for this year are;