How Mutfwang Is Using Learning Passport to Bridge Education Gap Across Plateau Communities

In Plateau State, where many rural schools still struggle with chalkboards, nonexistent or overcrowded classrooms, there is a growing effort to redefine how children learn.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s launch of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), a digital platform that promises to bridge the gap between pupils in Jos and their peers in the remotest corners of the State is commendable.

The platform, developed in collaboration with UNICEF, TECNO Mobile, Airtel, and other partners, offers online and offline learning opportunities to thousands of children across Plateau.

But beyond its technological appeal, what makes this launch remarkable is the governor’s insistence that rural communities must be the centrepiece of digital transformation.

“I thank God for this opportunity to leapfrog from where we are in public sector education to where we need to be. Those of us born before the computer era have the responsibility to ensure our children access the digital space, the reality of today’s world,” the Governor declared.

His words resonate strongly in a State where most Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres are clustered in the capital, leaving students in villages disadvantaged during national examinations.

The governor acknowledged this gap, pledging partnerships with telecom operators and the Federal Ministry of Communications to expand broadband access through fibre optic installations.

A pilot project at Government Secondary School, Kuru, has already shown the potential of digital learning. Students there are using the NLP to supplement classroom teaching, and officials are eager to replicate this success across all local government areas.

“We are building an education system where technology is not a privilege but a standard available in our cities, towns, villages, and even the most remote communities,” said Commissioner for Education, Kachollom Gang.

For UNICEF, the project is more than just gadgets; it is about tackling Plateau’s out-of-school children crisis.

Representing the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Abdulrahaman Ado noted: “With over 2 million children in Plateau State now able to access the platform both online and offline, the NLP has come to stay. Its flexibility ensures that learning is accessible to all, regardless of location.”

The symbolic presentation of routers to 50 schools marked the programme’s official take-off. But stakeholders like the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) chairman, Samuel Amuna, stressed that lasting change requires increased education funding in line with UNESCO’s 26% budgetary benchmark.

With the development, Plateau is not just adopting technology, it is attempting to level the playing field so that a child in Mikang or Pankshin can have the same digital learning opportunities as one in Jos.

If successful, the Nigeria Learning Passport may well be remembered not just as an e-learning tool, but as the bridge that finally narrowed Plateau’s rural-urban education divide.