The new global Coronavirus pandemic has led to the shutdown of schools across the country, leaving many teachers to stay home without work , especially those in private schools.
Even with the introduction of online learning and teaching, a few teachers have been able to maintain their work, and despite hope from some governments, it is not clear to the world that the pandemic will recede.
A new technology platform, Homeskul, could offer relief to the teachers who are struggling. Teachers who are trained on the new platform and are on board are able to learn from their experience and teach at their convenience.
A team of Rwandan developers funded by UK and US investors has created an electronic learning platform which aims to link teachers and students.
Homeskul is an e-learning portal that links experienced teachers to parents who are busy with their children’s homeschool.
The platform was built to respond to the learning needs of students and teachers who have been left with nowhere to go, according to lead developer Olivier Nshizirungu.
“We came up with this idea because we saw the need from students who wanted to learn from the best teachers but they couldn’t bring them home because of Covid-19 pandemic,” he says.
The program provides students with the right learning environment to boost their schooling. All is in one portal, students can interact with teachers via videos, access study materials, and chat with them directly.
Nshizirungu, who is also Loxotech’s chief executive, highlights that teachers registered on the platform must go through the recruitment process through which their applications and curriculum vitae are assessed.
“We contact their referees to make sure that the kind of education they will provide will truly benefit the students,” he notes
“In case we have teachers who are not providing what students are expecting, we give notice to them to improve and failure to do so leads to being removed,” he adds.
Most platforms on the market currently have minimal features that don’t support interactive learning and teaching.
Few have chat systems which allow students to chat directly with teachers, while many others do not have an online quiz automated.
An example of such a platform is Moddle which is currently being used by many schools around the country. Moddle is essentially an online learning platform that allows learners to access learning materials only.
Teachers sign income share agreements, allowing them through the platform to get 60 per cent commission on the fee a student is paying.
Teachers on the platform teach everything from the national education programme to Cambridge international programme, and Centre National d’Enseignement à Distance (CNED).
Jabo Butera, a Rwandan resident in the UK and one of the platform’s financial backers says investing in such platforms will allow Africans to access skills that were previously unable to access.
“Education is important but accessing the right information is hard. I left for the UK in pursuit for a good education. Technology is now allowing an opportunity for everyone to access the same level of education,” he notes.
“Investing in such a platform enables Rwandans and Africans, in general, to access skills and knowledge at an affordable rate,” he adds.
They say they ‘re in the process of carrying out the platform in countries such as Guinea Conakry, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the UK where officials have already expressed interest.
