The Federal Government has introduced a new online teaching programme, known as Inspire Live, to provide pupils in schools without qualified subject teachers with access to live lessons delivered remotely by experienced instructors.
The initiative is aimed at addressing the shortage of qualified teachers, particularly in rural and underserved communities, while improving access to quality education across the country.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today Monitored by The News Chronicle on Tuesday night.
He explained that the programme would connect pupils in primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools with qualified teachers through live and interactive online classes.
According to the minister, schools without teachers for particular subjects would be able to access the platform and join lessons based on a centralised timetable.
Using Kaura Namoda in Zamfara State as an example, Alausa explained that pupils in a school without an English Language teacher could log on to the platform and participate in lessons delivered by an instructor elsewhere in the country.
He stressed that the platform would cover every subject in Nigeria’s approved school curriculum, including English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Civic Education, Nigerian History, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
The minister added that Inspire Live would also provide recorded lessons, allowing pupils who miss live classes to access the materials later and revisit previously taught topics to improve their understanding.
Alausa further disclosed that the Federal Government had collaborated with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to provide free internet data for students accessing the platform.
He said the zero-rated data arrangement would enable pupils to access live lessons and other educational resources without paying for internet subscriptions.
The initiative is expected to reduce the financial barriers preventing children from low-income households from benefiting from digital learning opportunities.
However, the effectiveness of the programme will depend partly on the availability of functional digital devices, electricity and reliable internet connectivity in participating schools.
Beyond providing online teachers for pupils, Alausa revealed that the government had also introduced another initiative, known as Ignite, to support teachers with lesson preparation and access to curriculum materials.
He described Ignite as a cloud-based platform designed to help educators prepare lesson plans, access relevant teaching resources and improve classroom delivery.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government was implementing a Teacher Preparedness Programme, which currently supports almost 50,000 teachers across the country.
According to him, the programme is designed to strengthen teachers’ professional skills, improve their preparedness and enhance the quality of education delivered to pupils.
Alausa maintained that the government’s education reforms were focused on providing support for both students and teachers, stressing that improving the education sector required strengthening classroom instruction while expanding access to learning opportunities.
He expressed optimism that the combination of Inspire Live, Ignite and the Teacher Preparedness Programme would contribute to improving the standard of education in Nigeria.
