The countrywide closure of schools has led to a number of disruptions in the education system. Even with the adoption of online learning and teaching, concerns still remain and one of the key concerns is how students’ facilitation with appropriate lesson follow ups according to their curricular. Because of this particular concern, a new technology platform, Smart Class Rwanda was established with a purpose of providing relief to struggling students. Smart Class Rwanda, operates www.smartclass.rw, an online learning platform which aims to connect all Rwandan students learning similar academic subjects and provide them with access to valuable learning materials and high-quality teachers. Hussein Kayitare, co-founder and the company’s Chief Communications Officer says with this platform, they hope for students to achieve academic excellence no matter their location. With the platform, students can easily upload and download all learning materials. For instance a student from a school “A” in Senior 2 can learn together with a student from a school “B” in senior 2. “We also provide a hub composed of vital academic documents (E-library), which is needed by students. Materials include textbooks, past examination papers, notes, course summaries, and video recorded lectures for practical courses self-evaluation tests, among others,” he says. “This helps them share learning materials and know what’s going on with another school in terms of learning,” Kayitare adds. How the platform works According to Kayitare, a student needs to have internet access to register on www.smartclass.rw. where the student is asked to create an account and pay 1000 Rwf per month to access the library and an e-classroom or rather pay 5,000 Rwf for 4 months with access to e-mentorship. Upon completion of registration, a student is directed to a room with their classmates and they can start asking questions. “In the evening, (6 pm-9 pm) a teacher goes through their questions and answers in order to approve and correct the answers shared during the course of the day.” The platform which currently serves over 3,000 students from different secondary schools in Rwanda, also provides career guidance service that empowers students to achieve results with the help of a mentor. “We track every single move of the student on the platform. Each and every month, students sit for the quiz and evaluate themselves. After that we evaluate and see who needs much attention from the teacher and we direct them to their particular chatroom with a designated teacher,” Kayitare asserts. For Jean Nepo Nizeyimana, a student tutor, there is no better time for this kind of platform. “As a student, and even now as a teacher, being in class has always offered me a sanctuary where I could tune down everything else and immerse myself in a community of knowledge seekers. Studying with your classmates (a digital class) offers way more opportunities than just coping with academics,” he says. Nizeyimana points out that today, schools across the world have temporarily cancelled their face-to-face classes to deal with the impact of the Covid-19 situation noting that the trending debates have turned to the topic of academic continuity plans as the world continues to deal with the impact of Covid-19. Besides, Edna Mugunga, a senior six student at Lycee de Kigali, highlights that such platforms give room for classmates in different schools to chat about academic-related stories and educate themselves on how far they have gone with a specific subject as well as sharing past papers, notes between them as students.
