By Murtala Muhammad
Use of digital technology in every facet of life is becoming inevitable, the education sector is not an exception, as digital literacy is continually seen as a crucial skill for the next generation.
To meet this demand, the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, launched the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) in 2022.
In this Special report our Correspondent examines the significance of the initiative and how it impacts children’s learning in Bauchi state.
The Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) is an online, mobile, and offline platform designed to deliver educational content to learners and teachers across the country.
It offers a wide range of curriculum-aligned materials, including video lessons, interactive quizzes, and e-books, catering to primary, secondary, and tertiary education levels.
The platform is particularly vital in places with limited access to traditional educational resources, such as Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, which is one of the few states in the country where implementation of this initiative was piloted since its introduction.
Recently, Bauchi state Government in collaboration with UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office organised a one-day field visit to Toro being one of the piloting LGAs, with the aim to assess the use of these gadgets in the 55 schools and how they aid learning among the school children as primary beneficiaries.
At the Government Junior Secondary School, Magama Gumau, reporters interacted with some pupils on their assimilation using the digital learning platform, where Aisha Muhammad Musa and Umar Umar, said the initiative has completely changed their perception of conventional teaching and learning.
Adamu Sulaiman whose ambition is to become a medical doctor said using his personal email address and password he navigates through the NLP platform without much problem, noting that it encourages him to work hard even at home using his parent’s mobile phone.
For Fatima Nazeer Ibrahim and Abubakar Muhammad who informed that the weekly two-hours period of learning using the NLP platform was resourceful and wants the education authorities to address internet access disruptions for easy downloads.
Principal of Government Day Junior Secondary School, Magama Gumau, Malam Yakubu Gayawa said the NLP initiative was a welcome development and yielding fruitful results.
“Inadequacy of tablets and dysfunctional Router used for unhindered access to the internet are our major set backs, he added “training and retraining of teachers is very key to enable us impart the required knowledge to the pupils.”
Interacting with Radio Nigeria, Education Specialist, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Abdurrahman Ado lamented that many out of the fifty five benefitting schools across the state have inadequate basic facilities such as befitting classrooms, electricity and security.
He said these challenges often contributed to low literacy rates and poor educational outcomes in the remote areas, suggesting adequate provision of these needs and continuous training for teachers to maximise the platform’s potential.
“I am calling on government, Implementing Partners and philanthropists to work towards bridging the gaps, to align with the 2025 theme of International Day of Education, which is “AI and Education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation” – Ado said.
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