Several startups in Kenya want to fix education. Most of them however propose importation of tablets and laptops to make education digital. This seems to be changing as software seems to be eating the classroom aware.
Launched last year in beta by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology students Derrick Muturi and Rehema Wangare, Daftari is an online education platform with digitized Kenyan educational curriculum for access by students and teachers wherever, whenever on their mobile phones.
With ability for learners to access videos, animations, podcasts, e-books, past papers, quizzes, mock exams, discussions and research papers via a mobile phone app or the site, Daftari has lessons for class 4 to form 4 and says learners can use the platform for home schooling instead of hiring expensive teachers.The content on the site is developed in conjunction with qualified teachers.
Dafatari aims to make learning on the go, wherever one is and on any device minus the heavy backpack full of books to carry around. Learners can travel the world as they learn from one location to another on their smartphones, tablet, laptop or PC with guaranteed freedom.
Daftari has brain tests for users to follow and take a set of assessments tests to measure progress.
According to the founders, the platform aims at solving Kenya’s educational inequality by availing educational resources to everyone at any time and also affordable via monthly susbcriptions. Its especially focused on learners who don’t follow the traditional day morning to evening class routines and especially targeted at the adult and busy learners.
Learners will pay via M-pesa, Orange money, Airtel money to access the platform for a month. The only challenge Dafatari has is getting the content online or digitzed, the various licences needed to run the content and convincing everyone to turn to them and pay them monthly when they can access free books in various public libraries or even YouTube videos. The edtech field is also getting hyped up with names such as Kytabu, Eneza Education, eLimu, ElimuTV, Elimu Holdings and various others. The Kenyan government also promises to give kids computers and also have the national curriculum digitized. The Dafatari team also promises to launch an Android and Windows app but nothing seems to be happening on that front and their site also shows signs of inactivity.