Edtech has the power to elevate and improve learning outcomes for students by offering various  digital alternatives to delivering education. There have been interventions in the past such as radio and Tv to supplement what learners get in the classroom but the rise of edtech companies in the last few years has seen education stakeholders put more focus on creating availability of  edtech products as they seem to have a positive impact on learning.

COVID-19 has not only seen the demand for edtech resources increase  but also, it has given an opportunity to educators to explore and adopt other ways of learning. Parents, teachers and learners that had not been exposed to edtech tools have now gained access to digital skills that in future will be required to succeed in the labour market.

As schools closed down a few months ago, we zero rated our learning platforms from May 31st to September 30th in partnership with Safaricom  to help learners keep up with their studies at home. The stats on content consumed by learners during this period has been very impressive. 

As of October 31st, 2,212,802 learners had accessed learning materials on our platform; Shupavu291 with learners using the platform an average of 3 times a week. 

Despite the many challenges that learners experience while at home, our data shows that learning can still take place if the learners have access to tools that are within their reach. 

A report carried out by GSMA showed that 91% of households in Sub-Saharan Africa have access at least to any phone however any basic it is. For us, this is a great opportunity we leverage on as you only need to have a phone that can send and receive messages to consume our content.

Learners in primary and secondary are able to access comprehensive revision materials in all subjects; from lessons, revision papers and Wikipedia on SMS once they sign up on Shupavu291.

Although challenges like internet access, lack of electricity and  price may hinder the progress of edtech companies being made around the continent, the current education crisis has shown that if the right investments are made towards digital education, individualized learning which greatly improves learning outcomes can be achieved.