Education startup aims to promote digital learning
Students attend a class after the government withdrew restrictions on educational institutions following a decrease in the number of cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, September 12, 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS
Lahore-based education-technology startup Edkasa has won partnership with popular video platform TikTok and renowned educational institution LUMS to engage Pakistan’s high school students online in preparation for their exams.
LUMS would suggest topics and train the teaching faculty, Edkasa would establish one to two-minute short video lectures on science subjects for grade 9 to 12 students while TikTok would run the videos on its platform.
Founded in 2017, the startup has earlier raised $320,000 in pre-seed money from the domestic and international investors and won funding from the USAID, UK Aid and prize money in a competition in Boston.
“This is a TikTok-sponsored project. It has engaged LUMS and Edkasa,” the startup’s Chief Education Officer and Co-Founder Annum Sadiq told The Express Tribune.
In this year-long partnership, the three partners would collaborate to bring to life “over 500 educational videos online covering Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, including study tips and exam hacks,” a statement added.
The Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education at LUMS will provide guidance on teaching methodologies and cover the monitoring and evaluation of the project whereas Edkasa, as the implementing partner, will develop the entire content and host it on TikTok and other social media platforms.
The programme will promote digital learning designed to help millions of Pakistani students. “The programme’s first round of content is expected to go live in August this year.”
TikTok, home to 1 billion monthly average users globally, will help disseminate the content to millions of Pakistani students through its platform. A large number of Pakistani youngsters access the platform.
More than 10 million students are enrolled in high schools in Pakistan. “Our target is to reach at least 5 million students (half of the enrolled one) through the project over a span of one year,” she said.
“We pledge to provide the right technological solutions, products and services to enrich the students’ knowledge and perceptions. With over 300,000 downloads in one year, Edkasa enables distance learning of essential subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English and Computer Science (STEM), along with 21st century skills, educating nearly 30,000 students per month.”
TikTok Head of Government Relations and Public Policy - Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Pakistan (METAP) Farah Tukan said in the statement “this partnership … promises digital access to quality education for everyone. We look forward to working together for the nationwide promotion of literacy, and to enable Pakistani students to use our platform to hone their knowledge and skills to set themselves up for successful professional lives.”
LUMS will be co-creating the content while engaging learners. The intellectual experience of the university will enhance the teaching efficacy of this programme.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2022.
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