EdTech Connect; Bridging Innovation and Experience: A Journey of Impact in African Education

"The right to quality education is a fundamental human right." – Faraja Kotta 

Introduction

In a world where technology is rapidly transforming every sector, education stands at the forefront of this revolution. The recent webinar; EdTech Connect: Bridging Innovation and Experience, hosted by eBASE Africa as part of the Education Indaba 2025 pre-conference, brought together educators, policymakers, and innovators to explore the transformative power of EdTech and AI in Africa. The session featured Faraja Kotta, founder and CEO of Shule Direct, a pioneering social enterprise delivering tech-driven educational solutions across East Africa.

Faraja’s journey, marked by resilience, innovation, and a deep commitment to equity, offers invaluable insights into how technology can bridge gaps in education. This blog summarizes the key themes from the webinar, highlighting Shule Direct’s impact, the challenges of scaling EdTech in Africa, and the future of AI in education.

 
The Genesis of Shule Direct: Addressing Educational Inequity

Faraja’s inspiration for Shule Direct stemmed from Tanzania’s 2013 education crisis, where 80% of secondary school students failed their exams. This systemic failure highlighted the urgent need for accessible, quality educational resources. Recognizing the potential of technology, Faraja leveraged rising smartphone penetration to create Shule Direct—a platform offering curriculum-aligned content for students, teachers, and parents.

Key Achievements:

Scalable Solutions: Over 5 million students and 70,000 teachers across Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya now use Shule Direct’s web, mobile, and offline learning platforms.
Measurable Impact: A 45% improvement in test scores and higher engagement rates (35 minutes per session) demonstrate the platform’s effectiveness.
Holistic Learning: Beyond academics, the platform fosters 21st-century skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and digital literacy.
Faraja emphasized that technology is not just a tool but a companion in the learning journey, capable of overcoming geographic, financial, and socio-economic barriers.

 
Navigating Challenges: Scaling EdTech in Africa

While Shule Direct’s success is inspiring, scaling EdTech in Africa comes with unique hurdles:

Infrastructure Gaps: Limited electricity, internet connectivity, and device availability hinder widespread adoption.
Human Capacity: Many teachers lack digital skills or resist integrating technology into classrooms.
Mindset Shifts: Parents and educators often question the efficacy of digital learning, preferring traditional methods.

Faraja’s Strategies for Overcoming Barriers:

Show and Tell: Demonstrating EdTech’s impact through tangible results, such as improved test scores and student engagement.
Capacity Building: Continuous teacher training and peer-to-peer mentorship to foster confidence in using technology.
Collaboration: Partnering with governments to integrate solutions into public education systems, ensuring reach to marginalized communities.
Her approach underscores the importance of contextual solutions—addressing Africa’s unique challenges rather than importing foreign models.

 
The Future of AI in African Education

AI holds immense promise for personalizing learning in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike earlier EdTech solutions designed for advanced economies, AI can adapt to local contexts, starting from the learner’s current level and progressing at their pace.

Faraja’s Vision for AI:

Hyper-Personalization: AI can tailor content to individual needs, whether for a student in Dar es Salaam or a rural village.
Data-Driven Policies: Governments can use AI-generated insights to address systemic issues like teacher shortages or curriculum gaps.
Local Innovation: AI empowers African developers to create homegrown solutions, reducing reliance on imported technologies.
She cautioned, however, that AI’s success depends on safeguarding its use—ensuring ethical, inclusive, and secure applications for all learners.

 
Leadership Lessons and Advice for Young Innovators

Faraja’s journey, from a law graduate to a leading EdTech entrepreneur, offers powerful lessons for aspiring changemakers:

Embrace a Growth Mindset: "The world is about skills, not certificates." Faraja’s relentless curiosity led her to learn AI and EdTech despite her non-technical background.
Resilience is Key: "Failure is part of the process. You are not your failure." She stressed the importance of learning quickly from setbacks and moving forward.
Authenticity Matters: Her social media success (2M+ followers) stems from sharing her journey, failures and all, rather than projecting a "perfect" image.
For young innovators, her message is clear: Hard work, adaptability, and user-centric design are non-negotiable for creating sustainable impact.

 
Inclusivity and Sustainability

Shule Direct’s commitment to inclusivity is evident in its accessibility features for students with disabilities, such as digital Braille integrations and partnerships with special needs teachers. Faraja highlighted sustainability as a byproduct of listening to users, evolving solutions to meet their changing needs, much like how Nokia’s failure to adapt led to its decline.

 
Conclusion: A Call to Action

The EdTech Connect webinar was more than a dialogue—it was a rallying cry for collaborative, context-driven innovation. Faraja’s work exemplifies how technology, when grounded in local realities and human-centered values, can transform education.

As Africa strides toward a digital future, her parting wisdom resonates:
"Technology is a mechanism for learning, but its power lies in how we use it. Let’s harness it to build inclusive, equitable, and thriving communities."

For educators, policymakers, and innovators, the time to act is now. The tools are here; the need is urgent. Together, we can bridge the gap between innovation and experience, ensuring no learner is left behind.