E-learning platform for students during lockdown

The country has yet gone into another lockdown and the fate of education in the country hangs in balance with this second wave of Covid-19 pandemic

The second wave is more aggressive than the first one as it affects children as well.

Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure of schools as a measure to curb the spread of the Coronavirus disease, it is not yet clear when students will resume schooling.

But thanks to innovations and Apps continuity to learning is now possible.

Tusoma online is an easy to use Ugandan tech startup solving lockdown impact on

Education for Primary and Secondary school students. Like all other equally affected sectors, the solution is to be found in technology and Tusoma online will tackle the effects of lockdown on Uganda’s primary and secondary school learners.

According to Ivan Genza, Head of Operations at Tusoma Online, “The stagnation in academic progression brought about by the constant and seemingly eternal school lockdowns requires an immediate response from technologists.

He says academic stagnation can have a severe impact on children’s intellectual development, especially when newly acquired knowledge is not immediately built upon or consolidated by more advanced academic pursuits. With the new online platform, Genza says that learners can be assured of constantly refreshing their knowledge through online revision sessions with teachers, and progressively acquiring advanced knowledge by reading ahead with the guidance of teachers in a virtual classroom.

He promises that they are also ready to work with primary and secondary schools to provide an online platform for their students, although this would require some regulatory intervention by the Ministry

How Tusoma Online works

According to George Mugabi the head of quality assurance at Tusoma online, a learner searches Tusoma Online for any subject of interest and the application provides a list of available teacher-led sessions for that subject, The learner goes ahead to select a session and joins the teacher in a virtual classroom through Tusoma Online.

He says teachers of any subject from Primary one to senior six can join the application and also learners from Primary one to senior six.

Benefits for learners and teachers

According to Ivan GenzaTusoma will keep learners refreshed, they will also benefit from teacher-led revision sessions, read ahead because there is an option of being introduced to new topics and progress their knowledge to new levels. He says learners may also Join advanced classes because at Tusoma learners may join any class at any level, helping them advance their knowledge by studying advanced levels now, while also helping them refresh by studying lower-level classes. Tusoma has also got on-demand sessions where one can log on to revise with a teacher at any time from anywhere. Tusoma has also scheduled sessions where a learner can make their revision timetable and pre-book revision. Learners can also have sessions with teachers of their choice.

Genza says this also comes as an Income generation venture for teachers. They can earn income from the comfort of their homes and also from the teacher rewards programme where one can earn weekly bonuses for good performance and high ratings from learners.

He says the site requires no registration fees and sign-up is for free but starts generating income every hour for the teachers who are verified from the Ministry of Education.

You only need an internet-enabled device either a laptop or mobile device with an internet connection. A teaching license from the Ministry of Education & Sports and teaching Computer skills and ability to use computers for educational purposes.