The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched the Nigeria Learning Passport in Oyo State, with about 2.4 million children and teachers already using the digital learning platform nationwide.

The launch, held on Wednesday at the Local Government Hall, Secretariat, Ibadan, makes Oyo the 26th state to adopt the Nigeria Learning Passport.

Speaking at the event, UNICEF Lagos Chief of Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, said the platform was designed to expand access to quality learning opportunities through technology, particularly for children facing barriers to conventional education.

Lafoucriere said the initiative was being implemented in collaboration with the Oyo State Ministry of Education, adding that the state government’s recent recruitment of 5,000 teachers provided an opportunity to strengthen classroom learning through the digital platform.

She lauded the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde for its commitment to improving education in the state.
According to her, the Nigeria Learning Passport provides thousands of curriculum-aligned lessons in mathematics, English and science, which can be accessed through phones and tablets both online and offline.
She added that Airtel covers the cost of data usage, allowing users to access the platform without paying for data.

Lafoucriere explained that the Nigeria Learning Passport was developed in response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, when school closures affected more than 1.6 billion children globally.

She said the platform enabled children to continue learning through mobile phones, radio and other means, including in locations with limited or no internet connectivity.

She noted that the platform had since evolved into a tool for strengthening learning opportunities and building resilience within education systems.
The UNICEF official said the Nigeria Learning Passport was the product of collaboration among UNICEF, the Federal Government of Nigeria and development and private-sector partners.
She identified Microsoft as the technology platform developer, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) as a financial supporter, IHS Towers as a connectivity infrastructure partner, TECNO as a device provider and Airtel as the data partner.

Lafoucriere said UNICEF’s role included ensuring that the learning content aligned with the Nigerian curriculum, was available in languages children could understand and was complemented by teacher training.
She, however, urged the Oyo State Government to prioritise three areas to ensure that the platform achieved lasting impact.

She called for deliberate efforts to extend the initiative to rural and underserved communities, particularly girls, noting that children in areas with limited electricity and network coverage should not be left behind in accessing digital learning opportunities.
Lafoucriere also stressed the need for sustained teacher training, saying newly recruited teachers should be equipped with the knowledge and support required to integrate the platform into classroom teaching.

She also urged the state to track not only registrations but also actual usage and learning outcomes.
According to her, effective monitoring should establish whether children are actively using the platform, whether learning outcomes are improving and whether challenges involving connectivity, devices and data access are being addressed promptly.

She said the real measure of the initiative’s success would be its impact on children across Oyo State, including those in communities such as Saki and Iseyin.

Lafoucriere said UNICEF appreciated the state government, teachers, development partners and other stakeholders whose contributions had made the adoption of the platform possible.
She urged teachers to play a central role in ensuring that the Nigeria Learning Passport was effectively integrated into classroom teaching and learning.

She said the collective objective should be to ensure that every child, irrespective of location or circumstance, had access to quality learning opportunities.