UNICEF Urges Bauchi State Govt to Support Digital Learning in Schools

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has urged the Bauchi State Government to finance the uptake and usage of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), a free online and offline learning platform for students, in all schools across the state to boost digital learning among children. UNICEF, in collaboration with the state, is currently piloting the NLP in 55 selected primary and junior secondary schools as part of efforts to promote digital learning among schoolchildren.

Speaking at a one-day media dialogue on leveraging digital technology to improve learning outcomes in the state, held in Toro, Abdulhaman Ibrahim Ado, Education Specialist at UNICEF's Bauchi Field Office, noted significant gaps in the use of digital technology in basic education. Ado, who believes these gaps can be addressed through thoughtful strategies, called for the strengthening of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, as well as the provision of security and electricity in all schools to transform digital learning for every child in Bauchi.

He also urged the state government to procure more tablets, routers, projectors, and to set up an NLP studio for developing local content to equip children with the tools they need to excel in life's various challenges. The UNICEF Education Specialist advised the state government to establish robust monitoring of the digital learning initiative for schoolchildren and to engage in continuous capacity building for teachers to sustain the process.

Ado commended the state for its recruitment of teachers and urged the government to leverage the Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) in the recruitment process. "Digital literacy equips the next generation with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly digital world," Ado stated, urging stakeholders to champion school-level training of teachers and headteachers on EMIS digitalisation. "Through strategic partnerships, community engagement, and sustainable planning, we can ensure that digital technology plays a transformative role in reshaping education across the state," he added.

In her remarks, Aishatu Aminu, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Bauchi State Ministry of Education, disclosed that the ministry, in collaboration with UNICEF, had distributed 1,110 tablets across 55 primary and junior secondary schools under the NLP pilot programme. Aminu added that almost all schools across the 20 local government areas of the state had been enrolled, with the exception of newly admitted students. She thanked UNICEF for supporting the promotion of digital learning in schools and assured that provisions had been made in the 2025 budget to complement UNICEF's support in enhancing digital learning across the state.

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