Africa News of Monday, 24 February 2020

Source: yen.com.gh

Nigerian innovator fixes educational sector with unique technology

"The sector has continuously been faced with limited infrastructure"

One of the main actors in Nigeria’s digital space, Sim Shagaya, has introduced an edtech started known as uLesson, to complement efforts in the country’s educational system.

This comes in the wake of attempts by digital innovators to eradicate the challenges that the sector faces. A look at Nigeria’s $29 billion 2019 budget showed that less that 10% of the amount was allocated for the educational sector.

This fell short of the 26% recommended for developing countries by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Per a report by qz.com, the sector has continuously been faced with limited infrastructure as well as mediocre teaching standards. In that respect, some anxious parents have resorted to getting “lesson teachers” for their wards.

Shagaya’s approach however comes as a preferred alternative as it attempts to merge online and offline components to meet learning needs of millions of Nigerian students.

On its mobile app, uLesson gives users the opportunity to register take tests and measure their learning progress.

Its offline component sends its full library of learning materials to registered users on SD cards. The content can then be plugged into phones and accessed in a seamless manner without download or streaming costs.

YEN.com.gh understands that the service will be immediately available to secondary school students in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Liberia.

These are the five Anglophone West African countries that share similar curricula and take school-leaving tests set by the West African Examinations Council.