Back to school: How learners in Nigeria use technology to prepare for the new school year
uLesson, the leading African edtech company, released a report on how learners are using the app to prepare for the new school year which began on September 12th. The report is based on the results of a survey of more than 500 learners in Nigeria.
By complementing classroom instruction and giving learners an opportunity to learn at their own pace, uLesson has built a reputation as an invaluable study buddy for learners, both during the school year and on the holidays. The result is that 7 out of 10 learners use uLesson to study during summer lessons, and 90% depend on the uLesson app to prepare for the next school year.
Since making uLesson accessible to learners in Nigeria in 2020, uLesson has continuously grown its technology and content to match the needs of learners on the platform. Learners can use the platform for light revisions or to guide deeper study sessions. 72% of learners spend at least 4 hours learning on the uLesson app weekly; 28% of learners study on uLesson for more than 4 hours.
uLesson’s intuitive interface and focus on making content digestible without compromising academic quality are reaping rewards for its learners. Nearly 80% of learners say it’s very easy to use. Take the case of Nabila A., an SS2 student. Nabila started studying with uLesson to review SS1 and SS2 topics as well as get better grades in Chemistry, her most difficult subject. After studying with uLesson, she came first in Chemistry last term. Said Nabila, “At school, we didn’t have a regular chemistry teacher, so the subject wasn’t easy. It was quite hard. But when I started using the uLesson app, it became easier.”
uLesson is not only easy to use. According to users, the feature-rich platform is useful and engaging. More than half of uLesson’s learners use at least 3 features. 5 out of 10 learners attend live classes and use the core curriculum video library. Another half uses the test prep feature to prepare for Nigeria’s annual qualifying exams, including WAEC and BECE. Learners have attempted more than 3.6 million questions while preparing for these exams. Oluwatimisin O. used the pre-recorded content library to brush up on his physics and chemistry subjects before resitting the GCE. He liked how teachers in the videos break down each concept in granular detail. After studying with uLesson for one hour each day, he is confident of passing the exam. “At the moment, I feel 70-75% ready for [the GCE]. If I’m to retake physics and chemistry right now, I’ll be in the range of B-B2,” he said.
Learners who have benefited from uLesson readily share it with their friends. Almost 75% have already told at least one friend about uLesson. Not everyone wants to share their best study buddy. 12% of our learners like to keep uLesson a secret—it is their special superpower behind their success in the classroom!
About uLesson
Founded in 2019 by Sim Shagaya, uLesson is a Nigerian technology education company that is on a mission to provide high-quality, affordable and accessible education to all Africans. uLesson offers live online classes with expert tutors, video lessons and personalized live homework help for primary and secondary school learners online and via its app. With the best-in-class teachers, media and technology, uLesson provides high-quality and interactive learning that also allows learners to go at their own pace.
With uLesson, learners have mastered the core curriculum, improved their test scores, and renewed their confidence in learning. Some uLesson learners have moved from the 50th percentile to the 90th percentile in their class - one whole standard deviation. uLesson is available in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, US and UK.
This article was contributed by Ore Badmus, a Content Marketer at uLesson.