Nigeria - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Mobile Classroom is a groundbreaking Edtech mobile application that offers an affordable e-learning platform for Nigerian public university students.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Mobile Classroom is a pioneering educational technology (Edtech) mobile application that aims to provide an affordable and accessible e-learning platform for Nigerian public university students. This innovative app offers a wide range of educational resources, including interactive lessons, study materials, quizzes, and forums for collaborative learning. With a user-friendly interface and tailored content, Mobile Classroom seeks to enhance the learning experience for students, addressing the specific challenges and needs within the Nigerian higher education system.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

The Mobile Classroom is a mobile application which hopes to address the challenges in the Nigerian University educational system, particularly the recurring "ASSU strike." This strike, initiated by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, stems from disputes with the Nigerian government regarding staff salary payments, inadequate working conditions for lecturers, and substandard learning environments within the universities. The Mobile Classroom aims to reduce classroom congestion and provide monthly incentives for lecturers, mitigating the effects of ASSU strikes and enhancing the overall learning experience for students within the Nigerian public university system.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

Here are three advantages of using "The Mobile Classroom" ed-tech platform: 1. Minimizes the Impact of ASSU Strikes: The platform offers an alternative learning solution, ensuring academic progress during disruptions. 2. Reduces Classroom Congestion: Students can access lectures remotely, leading to a less congested physical classroom, improving education quality. 3. Provides Monthly Incentives for Lecturers: The platform offers monthly incentives for lecturers, addressing issues of insufficient compensation and poor working conditions.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Mobile Classroom hopes to serve students and Lecturers in Nigerian public universities, by decluttering the classroom through remote learning and giving incentives to the lecturers who often need to go through the horror of nonpayment of salaries for months.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2023-11-10

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

0

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

0

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

The mobile application is yet to be officially launched, so It's just me for now

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

Other: Educational Technology

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

Sometimes these Lecturers go months without receiving a penny from the Nigerian federal government or the Ministry of Education. By providing incentives to them, which also serves as an alternate stream of income, we are helping to keep them floating, pending when their salaries are paid.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

6

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

A lecturer who has a family to cater for, and hasn't been paid for months, is obviously battling hunger along with the members of his/her household

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

6

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

Many lecturers have died in the field of working as a result of the poor working conditions they are faced with. And I have lost count of how many times I have had to help carry my course mates to the school clinic because they fainted in class during lecture as a result of the poor learning environment and over crowded classrooms.

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

Mobile classroom hopes to provide affordable e-learning materials to students in Nigerian public universities as well as keeping the schools open as against being closed down for months because of the ASSU strikes.

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

The mobile application is open to both male and female Students and Educators.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

6

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

Most assignments given in Nigerian universities require students to print the assignments and submit them, at the end of the day those printed papers are dumped outside by lecturers after marking, and rain fall on them, carry some of them into drainages, those papers do not cause a havoc to the environment until they are eventually burnt, and the smoke from the burning papers affects the ozone layer.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

2

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

The platform will provide Monthly stipends to educators in order to keep them Afloat pending on when the Nigerian Federal Government decides to pay them, and likewise serve as a second stream of income to Educators.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

5

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

The Mobile Application will contribute greatly in creating an improvement in the educational structure of the Nigerian public universities.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

6

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

In some parts of Nigeria, the Female children aren't exposed to University Education yet, Mobile classroom hopes to create an avenue where those females students who don't have the luxury of attending universities can still attain university education and have Access to educational materials even without being physically admitted in the Universities

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

3

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

Education is one of the keys to drive improvement, development and sustainability of any given society, and by creating a platform for accessible education, we are helping to contribute to the sustainability of the Nigerian community and society.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

6

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

When papers used for the submission of assignments get used and discarded, they end up getting burnt and the smoke from the burning papers affects the environment, so we are trying to solve this by creating an avenue where soft copies of those assignments can be submitted and not the physical copy which will end up getting discarded later.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

2

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

6

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

When papers used for the submission of assignments get used and discarded, they end up getting burnt and the smoke from the burning papers affects the environment and is also harmful to people around who inhale the smoke, so we are trying to solve this by creating an avenue where soft copies of those assignments can be submitted and not the physical copy which will end up getting discarded later.

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

3

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

The application will provide a learning platform for both Nigerian university students and likewise students from other Countries in Africa, there by fostering partnerships and sustainable development.

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

3

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

5

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

4

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

3

05.08 Justification

There is no Edtech platform targeting Public University students in Nigeria, only the Private Universities which are super expensive create elearning platforms for their students only. So the mobile classroom application will service the students and educators in the Public education sector.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Platforms like Coursera, Edukoya will be our Competitors, however their structure, business model and target audience is entirely different from ours, and ours will be easily affordable.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

As someone who is still studying Mass Communication in the university and has practical knowledge of Digital Journalism which some of my faculty Mates do not have, I bring my faculty Mates together (Males and Females) on Fridays to teach them Photography, Videography, Camera handling and Video Editing. I don't gender discriminate, I believe that as long as you have what it takes to work in a any environment or industry, you should go for it irrespective of your gender.