Why EdTech?

Before we go any further, WHY NOT EDTECH?

When I started my tutoring side hustle in 2019, I was in a very unfamiliar situation. I was taking a gap year after completing my honours and I had decided to steer clear of anything to do with learning. Later, upon further reflection, I realised that education and learning could be both empowering and disempowering - the latter occurred when education was not done the right way.

So I started tutoring ChiShona for fuel money. And in my interactions with my 3 students at the time, I was happy about their individual progress but I was impressed and proud at the way knowing something new and related to their identity enhanced their confidence in themselves and their ability to learn. Parents would share that their children could go up to anyone and speak in their native tongue and how they were sharing various aspects of their culture with others at school to trade phrases and exchange knowledge on indigenous languages. All because I needed fuel money.

Adding Tech to Education

The education portion was thriving but the tech component was non-existent until a series of global events forced us to adapt or die. The pandemic was unrelenting at forcing a shift of approach to all educators who needed to ensure that there would be minimal disruption on the learning journeys of their students. So we started to research and incorporate tech. Below are some metrics we considered when making this decision:

• Would it work for our target market?
• Was it affordable for both us and our consumers?
• What else would it help us to do?

At the time we did not have the full view of what we were getting into but accessibility and possibility remained core to our initial assessment and they remain core to our considerations now.

The question I posed is WHY EDTECH?

Educational Technology (EdTech) startups are ventures that use innovative technology and digital tools to enhance the teaching and learning process as well as to improve educational experiences for all stakeholders in the education sphere - learners, teachers, parents to name a few.

Once I became fully aware of this industry, I chose EdTech because:

1.EdTech has a wide range of approaches to solving pertinent problems

EdTech platforms can be built using online platforms, chatbots, games, virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), mobile apps and learning management systems (LMS). These tools offer exciting benefits and capabilities that can enhance traditional learning methods and cater to various learning styles. Our latest offering leverages AI to enhance learning and educational outcomes through indigenous languages, join our waitlist to receive access to this tool - Vambo AI | Multilingual Intelligence

2. EdTech can be applied across various consumer groups

Edtech aims to enhance educational outcomes and these are the objectives of people from their first lesson as toddlers up all through to their careers and adult opportunities. EdTech allows you to serve K-12 schools, universities and corporate training initiatives. In addition, you can specialise in a niche such as fitness education, financial education or language learning like us at Vambo Academy | African Language, Culture & Heritage .

3. Addressing a global need & driving social impact

There is a universal need for quality education (UN SDG 4) as it has the power to positively change the course of societies by breaking down barriers to education. EdTech startups can address this challenge at a global scale by reaching remote and underserved communities. EdTechs contribute to building a more knowledgeable, skilled, and equitable society. With our EdTech, Vambo Academy | African Language, Culture & Heritage , we have managed to create jobs for Africans and enable people to earn an income from a skill they have inherently mastered - their mother tongue.

4. Numerous opportunities for collaboration & ecosystem development

The EdTech ecosystem is highly collaborative as it comprises of multiple stakeholders who all have an objective to improve the state and quality of education in their respective spheres. This collaborative environment provides opportunities for partnerships, knowledge sharing, and collective problem-solving. Through our journey we have been able to collaborate and benefit meaningfully from engagements with ecosystem enablers and peers such as Injini , Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) , GSEA , 南非开普敦大学 , University of Zimbabwe , Ambani Africa , The Lingua-Cultura Experience and many more!

EdTech is the perfect integration of technology into education to enhance teaching, learning, and educational outcomes. Through the utilisation of the power of technology, we can build solutions to make education more engaging, accessible, personalised, and effective for learners of all ages. I am excited about what the growth and development of EdTech industry, particularly in Africa, and I look forward to continue on my journey to build our solutions for this market and beyond ??