The Federal Government has introduced a virtual teaching initiative designed to connect pupils in underserved schools with qualified teachers through live online lessons.
The programme, known as Inspire Live, is aimed at addressing teacher shortages and improving access to education in communities where schools lack instructors for essential subjects.
Minister of Education Tunji Alausa disclosed details of the initiative during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
He said the platform would serve pupils in primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools through interactive lessons aligned with Nigeria’s national curriculum.
Government Offers Free Data for Virtual Learning
Alausa explained that pupils in schools without teachers for particular subjects would be able to join scheduled online lessons delivered by instructors from other locations.
According to the minister, the platform covers English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Civic Education, Nigerian History and science subjects.
He said recorded lessons would also be available to help students revise topics or access classes they missed.
To address the cost of internet access, Alausa announced that the Federal Government was working with the Nigerian Communications Commission to provide zero-rated data for the learning platform.
This arrangement is intended to allow eligible users to access educational content without additional data charges.
FG Targets Teacher Shortages Nationwide
The minister also highlighted Ignite, a cloud-based platform designed to support teachers with lesson preparation, curriculum materials and professional development resources.
He disclosed that the government was implementing a Teacher Preparedness Programme supporting almost 50,000 teachers.
Nigeria continues to face significant teacher shortages, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Education-sector data cited in the report indicated that public schools were serving more than 31 million learners with approximately 592,000 teachers, resulting in substantial pressure on teaching personnel.
The new initiative is expected to complement classroom instruction, particularly where qualified subject teachers are unavailable.
However, its effectiveness will depend on reliable electricity, internet connectivity, functional digital devices and the ability of schools to incorporate virtual lessons into their timetables.
The government has presented Inspire Live as part of its wider education reforms, although its impact on learning outcomes has yet to be independently established.
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