Kenyan startup IdeaHutch has designed eSoma, an interactive educational platform, to enhance the learning experience of children in the country.
eSoma – “e-learning” in Kiswahili – is packed with media-rich resources such as animation, colourful graphics and quizzes, visualising and animating complex scientific concepts for primary education to ensure that the learning and understanding process is easier and more enjoyable for students.
Founded by James Opot, an accredited accountant and proficient animator, IdeaHutch is part of the Sinapis accelerator, undergoing training and mentorship and finally acquiring seed capital to build eSoma.
He hopes to see eSoma used in every Kenyan school within the next five years.
“As a company, we want to see eSoma being used in all schools by 2018 and teachers being better inspirers of students by understanding the concept of computers in books, banks, hospitals, among others, apart from schools,” he said.
Opot, who is assisted by his brother Tony, said the concept was born after they noticed how difficult it was for their two brothers in primary school to understand complex concepts through textbooks alone, deciding the education system needed a complementary platform that students could use to enjoy and enhance their learning.
According to research they conducted, most students found textbooks to be boring, hard to understand, and lacking pictorials. They thus designed eSoma to be customised for the Kenyan curriculum.
The company is targeting parents and institutions seeking to improve the quality of the education of Kenyan children, using interaction to help them understand what they are learning
eSoma is specifically designed for upper primary pupils in the 8-4-4 system ,starting from class 5 to 8, and currently focuses on science-based subjects and mathematics. Though there is some digital education in Kenya, it mainly offers international curriculums, and eSoma will be the first one to provide digital content customised for Kenya.
Courtney Mills, founder and executive director of Sinapis, confirmed that a capital investment of US30,000 obtained by the company would enable it to complete the development of eSoma science and mathematics modules for class eight, one of the most critical classes for national testing.
“By making this investment, Sinapis hopes to enable IdeaHutch to bring its first completed version of eSoma to market and generate enough revenues to continue developing the products for other grade level as well,” she said.
eSoma will be available through IdeaHutch’s website and also on CD-ROM for those without Internet connections.
