From Mohammed Nasir Shuaibu BAUCHI
In its continued efforts to leave no one behind and provide equal opportunities for quality education, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has provided 1,210 tablets to facilitate the learning process among primary school pupils in Bauchi State.
The UNICEF Education Specialist in Bauchi stated that this initiative aims to integrate children into modern digital technology, aligning with global best practices. This is achieved through online lessons developed by the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) application, enabling children to access education even when they are not in school.
According to the Specialist, UNICEF is piloting this project in four local governments and 55 schools. Each school received 22 tablets, one router, and one projector, totaling 1,210 tablets. This initiative coincides with the 2025 International Day of Education, which emphasizes the importance of education accessibility and significance for all, with the theme “AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation.”
The Specialist noted that the provided tablets, routers, and projectors are insufficient to cover all children in the class and urged the government to recognize the benefits of this initiative and allocate resources to provide necessary facilities. This would enable more learners to access educational content through the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) in the state.
The Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Ministry of Education, Hajiya Aishatu Ahmad Aliyu, recently expressed her satisfaction with the progress of pupils at Tilde Fulani school in Toro LGA.
During a monitoring visit, she observed that pupils were effectively using tablets to access lessons and tutorials through the Nigerian Learning Passport. The pupils spend 1.5 hours twice a day using the tablets, and Aliyu noted that they’re learning a lot from this initiative.
The State government plans to provide more gadgets, routers, and projectors to ensure easy access for pupils during class sessions. To guarantee the project’s success, the ministry has implemented measures to monitor progress in pilot schools.
However, the LGA Education Secretary has appealed for additional support, including more tablets, power sources, and security personnel.
It’s heartening to see pupils like Summaya Haruna Adam and Ummulkhairi Abdullahi from Primary 6A expressing their excitement about this initiative. They’ve even promised to become computer engineers, demonstrating the positive impact of this program on their aspirations.
