Sterio.me

The percentage of Africa’s illiterate youth stands at 29%. Not only is in-class learning deficient, leading to early school abandonment, but reaching learners outside the classroom is difficult due to technological and resource constraints. Teachers who give daily homework frequently spend 10-20 hours a week on the preparation, distribution and marking process. Classes are often crowded, with 40-120 learners per teacher. In addition, school fees can consume more than 25% of a poor family’s income. Taking into account these factors, Sterio.me addresses teachers and learners outside the classroom. A “Sterio” is a 3-minute pre-recorded interactive audio quiz, which is triggered by sending an SMS to our number. This reinforces content, helps learners grasp concepts taught in class, and provides teachers with rich data on learner progress. Free for educators and learners in Lesotho, Sterio.me is accessible via any mobile phone, without requiring internet access. The Sterio.me solution focuses on audio, thus opening up a wider market. Teachers save time marking and distributing homework; are able to measure and track learner progress and assess teaching quality; share their lessons and access the lessons of other teachers for free; and compare learner results across individual, regional and national levels. Cooperation with ministries of education and corporate training initiatives is on the way. Sterio.me is looking to expand past Lesotho into wider Sub Saharan Africa and Latin America.