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One can have access to a quality education whenever and wherever you want, as long as you can get online. The world is gearing towards a new era; the revolution of online education and the Nigerian education sector is not lagging. Although most government-owned schools are not keying into the opportunities technology offers as they should but private schools are adapting to that way of learning. Conventional schooling/learning methods are still rampant in Nigeria but there are other ways to use online learning platforms. For example, online platforms can be used during after-school lessons on weekends or holidays, while learning skills that are not taught in school, and preparing for University entrance exams. There’s no need to downplay the uncertainties surrounding the internet especially by young children who may be exposed to things that they are not ready for. However, these uncertainties are not reason enough to shy away from this alternative, which has proven to be valid and useful for many students especially when the learning session can be monitored by adults. As a teenager or adult, online education is a sensible choice. When studying a difficult subject or learning a new skill, this can be an effective way to sharpen your skills. Due to the security challenges in Nigeria, online education is a guaranteed way to safeguard your children and wards. Learning can be customized to suit the individual’s needs. A customized learning experience can be created (reduced number of participants), and it is cost-effective and easily accessible. Although there are several learning platforms in Nigeria, this article will focus on Edukoya, a startup that provides free online learning for secondary students and their parents. Edukoya is an educational technology platform founded with the intent to provide after-school tutoring, guidance as well as makes it affordable for students. It is a Lagos and London-based startup founded by Honey Ogundeyi. The online education platform that offers online tutoring for students and their parents, raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding led by European venture capital firm, Target Global with participation from angel investors including European and African founders such as Shola Akinlade CEO and co-founder of Paystack (acquired by Stripe), Babs Ogundeyi and Musty Mustapha founders of Kuda, Brandon Krieg, and Ed Robinson founders of FinTech Stash and Raffael Johnen CEO of Aux Money among others. The platform which launched in December 2021 is still in its beta testing stage but is expected to go live fully this year in 2022. The platform offers a range of features such as 24/7 exam preparation and homework help, a question bank with step-by-step workings, and personalized performance tracking systems.
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The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) are the equivalents for university admissions in Nigeria after secondary school education, and students typically prepare for these exams by practising with past questions. Edukoya collects over 20,000 previous questions into a mobile app and provides step-by-step instructions on how to solve these problems. Students can also use the app to connect with experienced tutors who can assist them during their learning sessions. The application also provides stats like scores and time spent in solving problems to be able to deduct where an individual is strong and weak. Edukoya claims that 96% of students using its platform received higher marks during recent tests than when they didn’t use Edukoya even though it’s still in beta version. Raising the largest pre-seed round in Nigeria and on the continent, the startup is poised to achieve a grander scale than older learning platforms, which only secured small sums of venture capital money. Its founder believes that Edukoya’s approach to learning makes it stand out from its competitors and previous platforms. Edukoya is more than just a test prep site; it’s also a resource for parents and students in primary and secondary school. Daily, it achieves this through learning, homework, and support. Its platform is only available to students in the tertiary education segment who are taking exams. When the company finishes testing on the five core subjects, it plans to add more subjects and cover other grade levels. Currently, it is free to use and will remain so even after premium products are built. The majority of the pre-seed funding, according to the founder, will be used to expand the company’s team and learner base. It also plans to expand the technology behind its learning platform, which will include support for its pan-African and European developer hubs. If properly scaled, Edukoya has the potential to be one of Nigeria’s most successful educational technologies. Edukoya’s mission is to revolutionize online education for the next generation of Africans. With over 260 million students and counting, Africa has the world’s fastest-growing school-age population. Their goal is to democratize access and make high-quality instruction and content available and affordable to every student on the continent, regardless of where they live. Featured Image Source: Technext
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