Google has launched an initiative offering eligible students in Nigerian tertiary institutions free access to Google AI Plus for 12 months.
The initiative, known as the Gemini Student Offer, is valued at N92,400 per student and is available to students aged 18 and above enrolled in accredited universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
According to Google, students who benefited from the offer during the previous academic year can renew their subscription for another year after verifying their student status.
The subscription provides access to advanced artificial intelligence tools through the Gemini app, including higher usage limits, Gemini Live for real-time voice conversations, Deep Research for academic projects, custom practice quizzes, unlimited file uploads and 400GB of cloud storage.
Nigeria is among 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where the initiative has been introduced.
Google’s Director for West and East Africa, Olumide Balogun, said the initiative was aimed at making AI-powered learning more accessible to Nigerian students by reducing financial barriers.
He said the offer would enable students to improve their understanding of complex subjects, develop digital skills and become more competitive in the global economy.
Google also said the initiative was designed to support learning rather than encourage academic dishonesty.
According to the company, Gemini’s Guided Learning mode functions like a tutor by using hints and guiding questions to help students understand concepts rather than simply providing answers.
The company said a Google DeepMind study involving 1,763 students in West African schools found that participants who used Guided Learning recorded learning gains equivalent to between 1.2 and 1.7 years within eight weeks.
Google added that more than 90 per cent of the interactions in the study focused on understanding concepts, while only two per cent resulted in direct solutions.
The AI tools can also be integrated with Google Classroom, allowing lecturers to keep Gemini in Guided Learning mode while ensuring that student and classroom data are not used to train Google’s AI models.
The free subscription also includes Gemini Study Notebooks, which can turn lecture notes and course materials into quizzes and lesson plans.
Students will further have access to Gemini Live and Deep Research for brainstorming and research, interactive 3D visualisations and Google Lens Homework Helper for solving equations and interpreting diagrams.
Eligible students can verify their enrolment through SheerID and claim the 12-month subscription through Google’s student offer portal.
punch
