Cassava creating access to quality education, skills training through its e-learning platforms

CASSAVA Smartech Zimbabwe, through its Edutech unit, has developed end-to-end value propositions across platforms, devices and internet access to drive access to education in Zimbabwe and beyond.

This comes as students return to school next week and need to quickly catch up with their studies after the Government recently lifted a two-month break forced by the national lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.

Through its e-learning platforms such as Ruzivo, Akello books and Akello digital classroom, Cassava is providing interactive digital learning platforms targeted at primary and secondary students, whose content is aligned to the national school curriculum.

Cassava chief commercial officer, Mr Givemore Jojo, said the coronavirus pandemic had highlighted more than ever before the need to leverage digital solutions to address challenges affecting society in general as well as challenges in the education sector.

“Education is a powerful agent of economic transformation, improves health and livelihoods, contributes to social stability and drives sustained, long-term growth. At Cassava we are using technology to leverage strategic partnerships with a wide range of value chain players to offer access to quality education and skills through digital platforms,” he said.

Mr Jojo added that the listed fintech group, which is big on driving financial and digital inclusion, was determined to ensure that students who make use of the digital platforms achieve good grades, regardless of where their schools are.

“We have thousands of online books under our Akello digital library, which offer numerous school curriculum books that will help learners. Students in primary and secondary schools around the country can benefit from these textbooks for all subjects,” he said.

“Gone are the days when six students shared one textbook. Akello digital library changed this by making learning resources easy to access through the click of a button.”

To date, close to 15 000 students have registered to have access to both the library and the offline resource database, giving them access to over 400 000 e-books on the platform. Akello library also provides new curriculum books from local and international publishers.

In addition, Akello also offers internationally accredited courses and over 27 000 students between 16-64 years have registered to access the course and gain new online skills.

“We have the Akello Digital classroom that brings students and teachers through interactive live lessons, and we currently have over 10 000 students registered on the platform,” Mr Jojo added.

Over the past few years Cassava’s flagship Edutech brand, Muzinda Hub, has been providing Zimbabweans with access to globally competitive digital skills training, to combat youth unemployment and effect positive social, economic and environmental transformation through the use and application of technology.

“Our aim is to produce world-class IT professionals to contribute to the growth and success of the African digital economy,” he said.

Last year, Cassava’s Edutech business established two Pan-African Muzinda Hub franchises in Botswana and Namibia. It also placed 45 Muzinda Hub Training Program graduates in part-time and full-time employment opportunities.

Mr Jojo said Muzinda Hub has partnered with Theirworld (Code Club initiative), a UK based children’s charity founded by Sarah Brown, to provide wider access to basic technology and coding courses to 120 young girls aged 10-17 from St Peter’s Primary and Secondary School, in Mbare, Harare.-chroncieco.zw