Despite Nigeria’s commitment to integrating children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms, digital access remains a significant challenge. In the National Policy on Inclusive Education (2023), the Nigerian government pledged to provide equal learning opportunities in mainstream classrooms for all learners. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that only about 36 percent of Nigerians use the internet. Similarly, studies in North-Central Nigeria show that nearly 70 percent of teachers aware of assistive technologies are not competent in using them with learners with disabilities. As a result, children with disabilities physically present in classrooms face exclusion from online resources. To close this gap, there is a need for capacity-building and relevant skills acquisition training for teachers. There should be adequate infrastructure to include learners with disabilities, and evaluating inclusive education should take digital participation into consideration.
The World Bank launched the HOPE-EDU programme in 2025 with $1.08 billion to address the digital gap in education. The program aims to improve access to quality basic education for 29 million pupils, 500,000 teachers, and 65,000 schools. While the program is a major step, without incorporating digital accessibility, it could sideline learners with disabilities. Investing in Nigeria’s digital economy is essential, especially for children and youth, as exclusion from technology endangers their career opportunities. Physical presence alone cannot define inclusive education; true inclusion should enable learners with disabilities to engage meaningfully in both offline and online spaces. To improve the program and ensure it achieves its goals, the World Bank should partner with EdTech organizations that specialize in inclusive education and local communities. EdTech firms such as Afrilearn and uLesson, and organizations like Ingressive for Good and Sightsavers Nigeria, can support HOPE-EDU by integrating accessible digital platforms, donating assistive technologies, and delivering tailored digital literacy programs. Such partnerships would allow innovation, flexibility, and local expertise to complement public investment.
Although there are efforts to incorporate digital learning into Nigeria’s educational system, unequal access to learning opportunities has broader implications for Nigeria’s human capital development. The World Bank underscores the fact that digital skills are essential for economic participation in a digital world, enabling individuals and nations to compete and prosper. If digital learning continues to exclude children with disabilities, they will lose education and future employment opportunities. The Nigerian government should integrate accessible digital learning tools and basic ICT training into the national curriculum to ensure the equal participation of all learners.
There is a need for capacity-building and relevant skills acquisition for teachers. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) confirms that most public school teachers lack basic information and communication technology skills, limiting their ability to handle inclusive classrooms. For learners with disabilities, there is a double burden, as teachers who are unprepared for inclusive learning cannot integrate assistive technologies. Mandatory digital literacy training, particularly for teachers in rural and special-needs schools, would address this challenge. UBEC can embed digital accessibility modules into teacher training colleges and in-service workshops, ensuring that they equip new and existing educators to use technology like screen readers and captioning software. With better-prepared teachers, children with disabilities can benefit from online platforms such as the Nigeria Learning Passport, which already provides digital curricula, but many schools do not use it.
Infrastructure is likewise urgent for achieving digital inclusion for learners with disabilities. UNICEF data noted that internet presence in Nigeria remains below 40 percent, and rural schools are the most affected. For learners with disabilities in these communities, the absence of reliable connectivity cuts them off from resources that could bridge their learning gaps. To address this, the federal government and the various state governments should collaborate with private telecommunications providers to expand broadband access, with deliberate priority for special-needs schools. For example, the HOPE-EDU programme can integrate such digital accessibility targets to improve equity and also strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy.
To measure the effectiveness of inclusive education in Nigeria, it is important to monitor the participation of children with disabilities. Today, many children with disabilities sit in classrooms without access to digital tools. Integrating assistive technologies such as screen readers, captioning software, and adaptive keyboards can help to close this gap. The Ministry of Education can partner with non-governmental organizations such as Ingressive for Good and Sightsavers Nigeria and tech companies to subsidise devices, which will also mitigate the cost for low-earning families. In addition, the ministry should establish monitoring frameworks to track the availability and use of digital tools in classrooms. With effective monitoring, it will be easier to measure the participation of learners with disabilities in online learning.
Nigeria’s inclusive education policy remains incomplete without prioritizing digital accessibility for learners with disabilities. The government and relevant stakeholders should take urgent action to prevent their continued exclusion.
Precious Akintulubo is a fellow at African Liberty.
Article first appeared in The Nation Newspaper.
Photo by Emmanuel via Iwaria.
