The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, on Tuesday announced that the Nigeria Learning Passport, NLP, has reached a remarkable milestone of one million subscribers, describing it as a milestone in educational access in the country.
Announcing this in a press statement, UNICEF said the groundbreaking digital learning platform was launched to ensure continuous learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and has now become an essential tool in providing quality as well as uninterrupted education to children across Nigeria.
The NLP is a result of a collaborative effort between UNICEF, the Federal and State Ministries of Education, and key partners among others including Microsoft, Airtel, IHS Towers, Sony, Botnar Foundation, and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
It offers over 15,000 curriculum-aligned educational resources, including interactive lessons, digital textbooks, and self-paced learning modules, designed to cater to students from primary to secondary education levels, and for teachers and parents.
According to the UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Ms. Cristian Munduate, reaching one million subscribers on the Nigeria Learning Passport is a testament to the collective commitment to ensuring that every child in Nigeria has access to quality education, regardless of their location or circumstances.
Munduate said: "This platform is bridging the educational gap and providing opportunities for children to learn and thrive, especially in remote and underserved communities."
The Nigeria Learning Passport has been instrumental in addressing the educational disruptions caused by the pandemic, and most recently by natural hazards and attacks on schools, ensuring that children continue to learn in a safe and supportive environment. The platform's user-friendly interface has made it accessible to learners.
She explained that the soon-to-be-launched offline capability will also make it accessible to learners with limited internet connectivity, further promoting inclusivity in education.
The key features of the Nigeria Learning Passport include a comprehensive Curriculum: Covering core subjects such as Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Studies, available in local languages - English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, Interactive Learning: Engaging learners with videos, quizzes, and interactive activities, free to use platform, and Data-free usage on an Airtel SIM Card.
For offline Access; it allows students to download content and study without an internet connection, and teacher resources: providing educators with tools and materials to support effective teaching.
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UNICEF further acknowledged the invaluable contributions of its partners in making the Nigeria Learning Passport a success. The UN Agency commended Airtel for providing data services to enhance accessibility, IHS for supporting data and connectivity to ensure students stay connected, Microsoft for offering the infrastructure that powers the platform, Sony and Botnar for funding support to develop and expand the platform; Global Partnership for Education (GPE for funding the setup of the platform, state technical teams, building capacity of teachers and supply of devices.
UNICEF Nigeria pledged to continue to work closely with the Federal and State Ministries of Education and other partners to expand the reach of the Nigerian Learning Passport and enhance its content to meet the evolving needs of learners.
The organisation added that the milestone marks a significant step towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
UNICEF remains dedicated to creating a brighter future for every child through education and innovation.
