The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has underscored the critical role of digital technology in enhancing educational delivery, particularly at the basic education level. The organization highlighted this during a one-day media dialogue in Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State, to mark the 2024 International Day of Education.
Speaking at the event, UNICEF Education Specialist at the Bauchi Field Office, Abdulrahman Ado, urged the Bauchi State government, corporate organizations, philanthropists, and other stakeholders to leverage digital learning platforms like the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) to improve learning outcomes. The NLP, introduced in Bauchi in 2022, was designed to utilize digital tools for quality education, ensuring accessibility for learners across the state.
Ado stressed the need for proper monitoring of the NLP initiative to guarantee its success. He called for periodic school visits to assess how well teachers and students are utilizing tablets and digital learning gadgets provided through the program. He further clarified that while UNICEF supports the initiative, the responsibility of education provision lies with the Bauchi State government, which should take ownership of the program.
“Sometimes, teachers think the Nigeria Learning Passport belongs to UNICEF, but no, it belongs to the Bauchi State government. It is their responsibility to ensure that all learners benefit from quality education,” he stated.
He also urged the government to develop locally relevant content to complement the existing learning materials. Establishing a Nigeria Learning Passport studio and procuring additional tablets, projectors, and digital learning tools were among the recommendations he put forward to expand the program’s reach.
Despite the progress made, Ado expressed concerns over the insufficient number of learning devices available compared to the rising student population. He called on the state government to increase the procurement of tablets and projectors to expand access to digital education across more schools in Bauchi.
Additionally, he applauded the recent teacher recruitment drive by the state government but urged that the Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) be utilized to ensure efficiency in the hiring process. He also emphasized the need to digitalize the Education Management Information System (EMIS) to facilitate data collection and monitoring of educational progress.
Ado further appealed for the improvement of school infrastructure, including the provision of electricity and security to safeguard digital learning devices and ensure their effective use. He emphasized that government commitment in terms of funding and resources is essential to expanding the Nigeria Learning Passport and maximizing its impact.
“We need to see the government’s commitment in terms of resources so that we can increase the number of Nigeria Learning Passport users and maximize the available opportunities,” he added.
Providing an update on the program’s reach, Ai’shatu Aminu, the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Bauchi State Ministry of Education, revealed that nearly all schools across the state’s 20 local government areas are now enrolled in the NLP initiative. She stated that 1,110 tablets have been distributed across 55 primary and junior secondary schools, 15 Integrated Qur’anic Schools (IQS), and 40 conventional schools, with each institution receiving 22 tablets.
The Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) is an online e-learning platform with mobile and offline functionalities, ensuring continuous access to quality education even in remote areas with limited connectivity. The platform hosts national curriculum content, Open Educational Resources (OERs), and global learning materials, making it adaptable for early childhood, primary, secondary, vocational, and adolescent education. It also provides personalized learning records for students while offering teachers and parents tools to support learning.
With digital education becoming an essential part of modern learning, UNICEF continues to advocate for the widespread adoption of digital tools to enhance education and bridge learning gaps in underserved communities.
