Gidimo: A learning platform that combines learning and fun to deliver value

The Nigerian educational system is one that leaves much to be desired. The issues range from funding and poor infrastructure to the dearth of qualified teachers. In Nigeria, about 10.5 million children are out of school even though primary education is officially free and compulsory.

In 2021, only N742.5billion or 5.6 percent was allocated to education out of a budget proposal of N13.6 trillion, the lowest in a decade. The insecurity in the north has also contributed to the growing number of children who currently are out of school.

Parents who desire better education for their children and can afford it turn to private schools. However, this is not a foolproof solution as poor results are still being recorded in placement examinations like the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exam and United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Technology innovations have spread across all sectors, and the education sector is no different. Technology in education is helping students become better as different edtech startups are employing different means, models, and resources to customize solutions to make this happen.

Gidi Mobile, an edtech came up with an interesting twist to learning- gamified learning. After a decade of work, it has received global recognition as the best edtech in Nigeria by the Global Edtech Startups Awards.

For the startup, it is a validation for the hard work and perseverance so invested.

It is beautiful, it looks like what we’ve been doing, the effort we’ve been putting in is definitely worth it. The job, really for us at the end of the day is to create that platform that is truly engaging and that is truly delivering value

Funmi Okubanjo, VP Operations, GidiMobile.

Delivering more than learning with Gidimo

Gidi Mobile, founded by Tunji Adegbesan, was launched as a learning platform in 2012. For Gidi Mobile, the goal is not just to make students pass their exams but to furnish them with the knowledge that equips them for life success.

Gidimo, Gidi Mobile’s learning app, is where the magic happens. On it is the School Success Program (SSP) where students can master the entire curriculum of up to 14 subjects in a fun and highly engaging way.

The subject topics have summaries that students read and then a quiz, which ensures comprehensiveness and mastery. The Gidimo app can be used by students from JSS1-SS3, helping them prepare for placement exams such as WAEC, NECO, and UTME.

We are not just giving you learning, we are also giving you the opportunity to put that learning to good use in a way that will make your life better financially, socially and in a way that delivers value to the continent.

The gamified aspect of the app is a tournament in a fantasy world known as the Land of Kyrion. To join the tournament, users have to be paying subscribers.

To compete, users have to gain mastery in subjects topics. The number of badges earned determines the title of the user- titles start from Citizen, the lowest to Grandmaster, the highest title. A Grandmaster is someone who has gained mastery of the entire curriculum.

At the end of a school session, the top 10 Grandmasters will be taken on a tour to Ivy League schools- Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Silicon Valley. This concept happened just at the start of the pandemic, hence, the development has caused the startup to put a hold on travel plans.

Education in the midst of a pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic disrupted all activities, grinding industries to a halt as the world struggled to understand it and its impact, firsthand. It had both positive and negative impacts but a common factor is that it changed the way the world operated.

The education sector was not exempted from the effects of the pandemic since schools were also on lockdown. Video content, recordings, and online classes started, all in a bid to make sure that learning still occurred.

The influence of the pandemic on most edtech startups depended on their product features. Funmi mentioned that these solutions, although well-intended did not have many impacts as most students were exempted from the process. For an after-school learning platform like Gidimo, they created mini-programs where students could come together and have their activities directed in the community.

we tried to do mini-programs during the pandemic where students who were not in school or those still in school come on the platform and learn together, where you could direct their activities. We saw some traction in that regard.

Funmi, VP

What is Gidimo promising?

For Fumi, the pandemic helped to improve digital readiness on the part of the parents. They realized how a child could use their mobile phones to learn, and how schools could reach their students via different platforms.

We are primarily an after-school learning platform so our job is to reinforce what is happening in school in a way that the student does not feel exhausted or doesn’t find it boring.

Funmi, VP