By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Three schools have emerged winners of the Nigerian Learning Passport Quiz Competition organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the Borno State Government (BOSG) and other partners in Maiduguri on Saturday held at Armani Event Center Maiduguri.
El Kanemi College of Theology School won the primary schools category , Baraimul Imam Secondary School emerged the winner in the junior secondary schools category and Maiduguri Capital school won in the senior secondary schools category .
In her welcome address, the UNICEF, OIC Education Manager , Maiduguri Field Office., Caroline Waruguru Mwai said ,”The Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) is a digital learning platform which has free access to localized content and enables quality teaching and learning activity in the library.”.
” It has digital record of learning and data analytics functionality and has both web and Mobile application. NLP has been deployed in 18 states, reaching over 290,000 users, including 190,000 students. It provides access to 15,000 teaching and learning materials aligned with the national curriculum and global supplementary resources.
“NLP also supports the professional development of teachers, with over 30,000 teachers across 16 states trained in digital literacy and digital pedagogical skills which equips educators with the tools to effectively leverage technology in the classroom.
“The platform can be used by Learners, Teachers, Educators, Parents/caregivers. In 2023, Borno state reached a total of 19,300 learners through NLP, while in 2024 the state has a total of 36,995 learners enrolled with over 15,000 actively registered in at least one course on the platform.
“We are currently in the process of deploying 10 offline devices to cater for locations without network connectivity. UNICEF has taken further steps to train the EiE Working group partners on the NLP anticipating that partners will equally prioritize digital learning for their targeted interventions.
“UNICEF with support from various donors (Airtel, SILSA, SONY and FCDO) have provided 270 Samsung tablet, 30 routers and projectors across all implementation schools.
“To all our children who took this initiative wholeheartedly and have expressed their enthusiasm in learning, I thank you. I would like to encourage you and emphasize on the need to continue learning more and acquire digital skills.
” As the world evolves into digital world digital platforms become crucial avenues for increased access to knowledge and skills acquisition, which is mandatory for a better future.
“To our dear Parent and teachers, we appreciate your effort and urge you to continue supporting these young people to continue learning for better future,” Caroline said
According to her, the Ministry of Education, Science Technology, and Innovation (MoESTI) and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) have played a vital role in mobilizing and engaging strategically on this initiative through their technical team.
She further appreciated CSO partners Innovation Hub and Multi-Aid and Charity Initiate (MACI) for their effort in implementing the NLP program and ensuring that children access and continue to learn through this platform for their support.
“I want to take this opportunity on behalf of UNICEF to thank the Borno State Government for their tremendous support and collaboration on the implementation of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) in the state,” Caroline said
The Education Officer UNICEF, Mustapha Shehu presented an over view of the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) as a platform for digital learning from paper to digital line in all languages and skills for students to have access to study materials as well as data analysis.
He said UNICEF in collaboration with the Borno State Government developed concepts and programming for students usage and accessibility using different platforms facilities on Google.
“NLP is one time transformation platform for opportunities to students , community or remote learning and centers for our if school children, education and child services , partnership, vocational centers youths adolescents, parents abd guardians in a formal and informal programs or use by non formal centers among others,” Mustapha said.
Schools that participated in the three categories of primary, junior and senior secondary schools category Quiz include Gwange I Primary School, GSS Maiduguri, Government College Maiduguri, Al Ansar Academy, Women Day Secondary School, GGSS Maiduguri, Govt. Technical School, El Kanemi College of Theology.
Others are Government Collage Maiduguri Women Day Secondary , Girls Child Concern, Govt Girls College, Maiduguri Capital School and Govt College Maiduguri.
Highlights of the event include: powerpoint presentation, Q&A Quiz, presentation of prizes, group photographs among others.
