Africas education landscape faces a critical crossroads. The continents growing young population needs quality education, yet public schools grapple with overcrowding and limited resources, while private institutions often come with a hefty price tag. Enter Kidato , a Kenyan edtech startup aiming to bridge this gap with a high-quality, affordable online K-12 program.
But can Kidato navigate the complexities of the African edtech scene, especially in a post-pandemic landscape, and carve out a lasting position? The startup and its backers are betting on it.
A Perfect Storm: Pre-Existing Needs and a Pandemic CatalystSam Gichuru, Founder/CEO of Kidato, understands the urgency of the situation. In Africa, he told WT last year, many parents face a difficult choice - overcrowded public schools or private schools that can cost a fortune. This sentiment resonates across the continent, where millions of children lack access to proper educational opportunities.
Kidatos answer is compelling: affordable online education with a rigorous international curriculum and a focus on personalised learning through a 5:1 student-teacher ratio. This approach contrasts the overcrowded classrooms and limited resources that plague many public schools.
However, the pre-existing challenges of the African education landscape were amplified by the global pandemic. School closures forced a rapid shift towards online learning, exposing the existing inequalities in internet access and digital literacy. While the full picture of the long-term impact of Covid-19 remains unclear, Gichuru acknowledges the disruption: The pandemic highlighted the need for better digital infrastructure and a more robust edtech ecosystem in Africa, he says.
Room for Another Player?
