The pandemic has turned things upside down in different aspects of society, the education industry is one that has not been spared. According to MIT, there are an estimated 1.5 billion primary and secondary learners’ (aged 5-18) who have had their education disrupted by the global crisis. It has gone to show us how unprepared the world was for a crisis of that magnitude. Some of the schools have shifted to online learning while others have completely shut down.
However, the disruptions have amplified pre-existing inequalities along wealth, gender, ethnicity, linguistic and geographical lines. Innovative solutions have been created to mitigate the challenges faced and to buffer the industry in the event that a similar unexpected crisis occurs in the future. Some of the edutech solutions have placed Africa on the global map in the education sector with the fast response of its adoption that has ensured that students are able to get quality education despite the remote measures put in place.
Eduquator is a portmanteau of ‘Edu’ & ‘Equator’, symbolizing the organization’s primary focus on African countries around the equator working with institutions in education and training in developing and implementing projects which are need-based.
The main goal is to ensure that the education that is provided in these institutions is relevant to the industries so as to make it easier for the graduates to fit into the workplace. In most instances, there is a mismatch that tends to occur with the education earned and the skillset that is passed on.
They help institutions with developing proposals that enable them to receive funding that helps in aligning the education systems. On the other hand, they work with development partners, donors and NGOs to help them design programs that address the needs of the private sector. During projects, they are project managers and research experts that walk with their clients throughout the project process.
The Spring Valley-based company focuses more on people and nurturing them to attain their full potential. They have a diverse team of experts who are able to address any issues as requested by the clients. Every project that they carry out is given maximum attention as they customise all solutions to the clients’ needs. They are about offering quality over quantity as they have grown their network of clients through referrals.
“Unfortunately, we are one of the few companies who have benefited from the Covid experience. The downside is that our work requires a lot of travelling abroad and in-person meetings which were disrupted because of the measures put in place to curb the pandemic. However, we were fortunate to have a smooth transition to operate online. Due to the situation, organizations needed to shift to online learning which required institutional changes of facilities to curricula and this provided a lot of business for us in terms of project management. Sadly, the institutions suffered but were able to reduce it.” said Sharleen Muthoni, Co-Founder & Director.
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The goal is to get projects that will enable them to create jobs for the youth, this is informed from all the experience and information they have gathered in their career. Eduquator is looking to grow their company to an international base such that they can offer their services to clients from different parts of the world. It will require them to continue growing as thought leaders so as to earn more credibility with their target audience and to bring positive changes to society by enabling students to get quality education.
“Nairobi Garage has enabled us to link with like-minded people, to develop friendships and business opportunities. For example, we were able to apply for a tender with some of our fellow members such as Triggerise, Elewa and Danilo who are helping us to link with international markets for our art business that we are running. I am able to work productively without distractions and during the breaks I get to interact with people from different industries which is a chance to offload any stress,” concludes Sharleen Muthoni.