Teesas donates learning tablets to underprivileged children
By Zion Rufus
EdTech start-up Teesas has donated tablets for learning to underprivileged children through its CSR-led initiative, Teesas Donate Program.
Aimed at facilitating digital learning amongst underprivileged children, children aged 3-11 years at the Little Saints Orphanage, Abule Egba Home in Lagos were given refurbished tablets preloaded with the Teesas Education app on Saturday 16th July 2022. An annual subscription to the Teesas Education app typically costs N34,320 but all beneficiaries of the CSR program will access the app at no cost.
In addition, a router with a one-year data subscription was also provided to ensure that the children can have access to the apps educational videos and ebooks. To also ensure they are well tutored, members of the Teesas team will be available to monitor the children’s academic progress and provide free tutoring support.
Commenting on the initiative, Osayi Izedonmwen, founder and chief executive officer, Teesas, revealed that the Teesas Donate Program was launched to liberalise access to quality education.
The Teesas Donate Program essentially encourages well-meaning individuals to donate their used or damaged tablets to Teesas by submitting their contact details on the company’s website. Devices to be donated should have the following minimum specifications: a 6-inch screen size or above, 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM, Android 6 or above and iOS 12 or above. The tablets are then refurbished to a good standard and donated to children in orphanages and underserved communities across the country.
Izedonmwen said: “Our ambition is to ensure that no child is left behind. That is why we are committed in every way possible to bring quality education to children who otherwise do not have access to quality education and we are doing that through our technological platform, the Teesas education app.”
The Teesas Education App is primarily focused on bringing groundbreaking curriculum-aligned content to children in the lower years of education, particularly children between ages 3-11. The app delivers content both in English and native Nigerian languages including Bini, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Ijaw, Tiv, Ibibio to also make learning easier for children who do not understand English whilst promoting the preservation of indigenous languages. The education app also features emotional learning content such as anti-bullying lessons delivered by the Teesas brand ambassador, Mercy Johnson-Okojie.
According to Izedonmwen, Little Saints Orphanage is the fourth beneficiary of the CSR program since its launch earlier this year.
“Our plan this year is to reach at least 200 orphanages. It speaks to the strength of our mission. We are an impact-driven organisation that is focused on liberalising access to education and for us, it is not just a money-making venture, we are committed to this vision,” the CEO explained.
“So even though we are only a year old, we are setting the trail by focusing on delivering quality education to the underprivileged, and that is a strong testament to how much we believe in our mission and we encourage other partners and individuals to come and collaborate with us so we can even do more to reach many of those children in the underserved communities.”
Expressing her gratitude to the Teesas team, the founder of Little Saints Orphanages, Rev. Mrs George revealed that the initiative was timely.
She said: “It was as if the Teesas team saw into my heart as this is a plan we have been nursing for the past few years. Recently we set up a library just to ensure that the children have access to computers to be able to follow up with the programs of their schools. It has always been our mission to give the children the best education, and so far all the children are doing very well as we ensure they will not leave the orphanage disadvantaged the way they came. So this is a huge turnaround for us as these tabs will move them further ahead and take them far above their peers, even in their schools.”
Earlier this year, Teesas was named amongst five innovators of the Morgan Stanley 2022 Sustainable Solutions Collaborative Cohort for increasing educational opportunities across the African continent. The company was awarded $250,000 to increase its impact across Africa.
Izedonmwen says that among other things, the Morgan Stanley award is making it possible for the Teesas Donate Program to reach more orphanages a
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.