Ed-tech News Roundup — Issue #3
We track the most important stories around the world in ed-tech. We publish a fresh issue every week.
This week, we were at TechCabal’s Townhall: Edtech & The Future of Work. TechCabal’s CEO Tomiwa Aladekomo emphasised the scale of the problem we have with education in Africa. There are 97.5 million children out of school across Africa. Despite the fact that there has been an increase in enrolment, 202 million children and adolescents are not learning the minimum in math and reading. If children are not picking up basic English and maths skills, one can only imagine how little technology skills are being picked up pre-university. 10–20 million youth enter the workforce every year without the required skills. This is ultimately a reminder that the work we do at Benchbox is extremely important. This TechCabal article offers a glimpse into what went down at the event.
The week started off with some good news for Nigerian edtech startup, ULesson, and the ecosystem in general. The Sim Shagaya-led startup raised a $3.1 million seed round led by TLCom Capital. ULesson plans to go live in February 2020. TechCrunch has all the juicy details.
Kenya’s TinyTotos won the People’s Choice Award at the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge. TinyTotos is a social enterprise working with daycare entrepreneurs in Nairobi slums to provide safe and affordable daycare centres for preschool children. Reaktor Education won the Skills Development and Opportunity Matching category. Read about the challenge winners here.
TechawkNG reports that veteran actress, Funke Akindele has launched a spelling app — Jenifa Spells. According to the actress, the app is based off of her character, Jenifa. The app is available on the Google Play Store.
Last week, we reported that Simbi Interactives had graduated from the second Itanna cohort. This week, the startup shone at She Leads Africa Demo Day clinching the second position and a prize of N1 million. Another ed-tech startup, Edupoint clinched third place and the N500,000 prize. Edupoint is an innovative online platform that connects students with verified local teachers who deliver one-on-one lessons in any subject, skill or exam. Watch the live stream of the event here.
Events
Rise Networks is hosting The WorkPlan on the 17th of December. The WorkPlan is Africa’s first private sector-led collaborative platform for policymakers, private sector, academia, and Africa’s youth. The aim is to draw up a practical blueprint for developing the formal and informal skills of young people.
Opportunities
Applications to Cohort 4 of Injini’s Incubation Programme are open till December 10th. Successful ed-tech startups will receive a grant of R100,000 and the opportunity for an investment of up to R1 million. Find more details and apply here.
Jobs
Benchbox is looking for professionals to design a curriculum for its various courses. Sounds interesting? Email tobi@benchbox.co.uk
Edtech startup with open roles? Email blessing@studio14online.co.uk
