Federal Govt Plans Nationwide Internet Access For All Schools

The federal government has taken steps to connect schools in Nigeria to reliable internet services as part of a major initiative to strengthen digital learning, expand access to modern educational tools and harness technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to improve the nation’s education system.

The initiative followed a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to expand nationwide digital infrastructure and ensure that key sectors, such as education, benefit directly from ongoing broadband and telecommunications investments.

To advance this objective, the minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa and his Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy counterpart, Bosun Tijani, held a meeting in Abuja with key stakeholders to strengthen coordination between the ministries in connecting schools nationwide.

The meeting, according to a press statement issued by the director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, focused on developing a coordinated framework to ensure internet connectivity reaches institutions at all levels of the education system, from foundational and secondary schools to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

After the meeting, Alausa said the initiative was built on earlier connectivity efforts through the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), which previously supported broadband connectivity for tertiary institutions under a World Bank-funded project.

According to him, although the programme recorded significant progress in connecting universities and other tertiary institutions, the momentum slowed after the initial funding cycle ended, creating the need for a renewed and expanded strategy.

The current effort, he said, seeks to revive and strengthen the programme while extending connectivity across all levels of the education sector.

“Connectivity is not limited to broadband fibre alone. It also involves telecommunications towers, satellite systems and other digital infrastructure required to provide reliable internet access across the country,” the minister said.

Alausa noted that the Federal Government is implementing major connectivity projects, including the deployment of approximately 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic broadband infrastructure, the installation of about 3,700 telecommunications towers, particularly in rural and underserved communities, and the expansion of satellite capacity to strengthen nationwide coverage.

According to the minister, the objective is to ensure that as broadband cables are deployed and towers installed across the country, schools at every level are deliberately connected to the network.

“We are planning proactively so that as broadband cables are laid and towers deployed across the country, they are strategically connected to our schools, from primary and junior secondary schools to senior secondary schools and all tertiary institutions,” he said.

The minister further explained that expanded digital infrastructure will support ongoing reforms to strengthen examination integrity through the gradual transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for major national examinations.

According to him, digital learning centres being established in schools will also function as CBT centres for national assessments.