Joburg startup on a mission to democratize education

Published: 03 June 2018

Education is too expensive and does not prepare students for the workplace. These are the lamentations of both employers and students across Africa. Why are educational institutions not changing their curricula fast enough to provide relevant education that satisfies industry skills demands? What do students really pay for when getting an education?These are some of the questions that Edzai Conilias Zvobwo has been asking for years.

Out of disgruntlement from the rhetoric and low pace of change, Edzai, popularly known as “The MathsGenius” has decided to be the change he would like to see.Edzai is on a mission to facilitate the free delivery of relevant skills to anyone who wants to learn. “In the information age, knowledge is free, and students are merely paying for accreditation and associated prestige that comes with institutional names”, said Zvobwo who has created an online platform that offers free courses and educational insights on all subjects.According to information on the platform’s homepage, MathsGee is an online content recycling initiative.

The platform serves as a bank for educational content in the form of courses.

The content on MathsGee is free for everyone, everywhere and anytime. The courses are being developed in conjunction with organizations that are willing to share knowledge and contribute in solving the educational crisis across the continent.To bridge the expectation gap between students and employers, it is necessary to co-create learning paths that are focused on skills and not necessarily labelled as degrees or diplomas.

What industry needs are skills and not qualifications. MathsGee offers this opportunity to employers to communicate their expectations to the future workforce to avoid discord.In line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, MathsGee is also tackling the exclusivity of education by providing all courses for free. If one has an internet connection, then they will be able to learn any skill anytime and anywhere.It is important that all stakeholders rethink about what education is relevant and how it should be delivered.

For more information on the initiative you can send an //mathsgee.com/joburg-social-entrepreneur-on-a-mission-to-democratize-education-delivery-in-africa/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">email  or simply use the “Contact Us” form on the platform.

MGLI launches online course exchange

Published: 09 April 2017

Johannesburg – April 9, 2017– MathsGenius Leadership Institute (MGLI) is pleased to announce that it has launched Diretsa, https://www.diretsa.com a crowd-sourced course marketplace for 21st century skills in order to meaningfully contribute to the skills development goals as set out by United Nations and the African Union.

The platform intends to lower the barrier of entry into knowledge creation sharing and acquisition thus has been structured in such a way that every user will be able to create their own customized website and share knowledge with the world. As a global education marketplace, Diretsa is focused on securing partnerships with top educators from around the world in order to provide African learners with access to leading educational programs and information. The call for content publishers is not limited to top professors but is open to anyone who feels they have a skill to share with the world. Most African countries are suffering from infrastructure deficits and this is directly impacting learning for the continent that has the highest youth ratio in the world. It is exciting for Diretsa to be a strategic partner to content publishers and consumers and hopefully it will have the intended impact.

Diretsa has begun to drive awareness of the MGLI’s vision to democratize education for emerging markets by engaging various stakeholders in the African continent. Diretsa also looks to be a sponsor one of Africa’s largest education conferences, EduWeek that brings together educational movers and shakers from around the world to Africa. To educate the people in developing countries, they require access to global educators’ programs and this conference is a massive opportunity to network and exchange value.

Anticipated strategic partnerships with various leading institutions in the USA and venture capitalists will further bolster Diretsa’s ability to add value in Africa’s education ecosystem as the platform of choice. By bridging the access gap, Diretsa is solving a huge problem and helping developing countries achieve their objectives to skill up the African continent. Educators from around the world and learners across Africa can come together on one platform”, says Edzai Zvobwo, Chief Genius at MathsGenius Leadership Institute (MGLI).