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Education
MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2016
‘Jano Ki?’ app makes education simpler than ever
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n Rad Sharar Bin Kamal o begin with, it would be important to mention that Venturas Ltd cocooned only last year. The e-learning startup in Bangladesh may still be a child in terms of age, but one which is ticking all the right boxes with their operations in the education sector. They have already launched an app revolutionising the way students of SSC and HSC levels can revise for their exams, and to make things even better, it’s free. If you haven’t heard of it, ironically, it’s called “Jano Ki?”
The Android application was launched in February this year, with an immediate response from students, parents and teachers alike. However, the fame was not simply built from the app itself. The “Jano Ki?” team reached across numerous renowned educational institutions in Dhaka, including Notre Dame College, Viqarunnissa Noon School and College, Cambrian College, Gulshan Commerce College, Jahangirnagar University School and College and others. In total, 50 schools in Dhaka city were connected to, tallying over 7000 SSC/HSC students. Over 5000 downloads were made in the first 30 days of launch. Moreover, math and chemistry courses were recently added as well for students studying in science. The platform was also ranked in the App Annie “Top 100 educational Android apps” board in Bangladesh. These are big numbers from a little company, which has an
interesting story behind it’s inception. The founder and chief executive officer of Venturas Ltd, Yoriko Ueda, elaborated on her journey to Bangladesh from Japan and why she chose this sector. How did Venturas Ltd first form in Bangladesh? First of all, I (Yoriko) was looking for a new opportunity to contribute to Bangladesh through business after I spent a year in the country in 2014. Eventually, I met the chief executive officer of Reapra Pte Ltd, who was thankfully looking for investment opportunities in the education sector of Bangladesh. He needed somebody who could take the responsibility, and our objectives matched. We agreed that I would start Venturas Ltd in Bangladesh. Why the education sector? I personally believe that education is one of the vital factors in order to establish a good nation. Especially in the context of a developing economy, education could be a lifeline for the people to transform for a better future. From last June, I began carrying out a market research on the education sector in Bangladesh, and discovered numerous problems in the field. For instance, there is a large pool of students in general, which resulted in an unbelievable number of students in the average classroom. For all those students, only a single teacher remains responsible. This is an impossible task, regardless of the teachers’ ability to deliver. In addition, students are going to coaching centers and spending a large amount of money to catch up
to school textbooks and prepare for examinations. I also found that people who have the ability to spend morehave better access to (and more expensive) teachers. Hence, an equal platform for education is missing. On the other hand, considering the recent development of global education, there are many ways to support these kinds of problems. When technology is adopted, the prospects and positive results are truly stunning. Matching Japanese standards and services, I started planning the idea to revolutionise the education sector in Bangladesh, and that’s why I went ahead with this particular sector. How exactly does Venturas Ltd plan to approch the students of Bangladesh? We’re trying to remove the burden for the students when the time comes to decide on their career and work life. For us, this means providing quality education at an affordable price. Moreover, we are trying to provide a completely new learning experience for Bangladeshi students. We wish for them to have fun when they study, become more creative and be motivated to take up new challenges in their lives. What’s special about the “Jano Ki?” app? Firstly, studying is made to be fun. The app is designed like mobile games with attractive colours background music, all to enable students to learn and remember better. Users are to simply flip flash cards with questions on
We are trying to provide a completely new learning experience for Bangladeshi students. We wish for them to have fun when they study, become more creative and be motivated to take up new challenges in their lives - Yoriko Ueda Founder and chief executive officer of Venturas Ltd
them up or down, depending on memory. After flipping them all, they can easily measure how many cards, words, idioms etc they have learned and how much they still have to memorise. Students can study anywhere, at anytime. Learning does not only happen inside the four walls of the classroom, it can happen anywhere. Whether you’re home, out with friends or even stuck in traffic, the app shall always be with you. Internet is not required. After
downloading the exercises you need, you can study courses while offline. And yes, it covers the SSC and HSC curriculums. “Jano Ki?” helps students prepare for objective and creative questions. You can get 19 subjects in total within the app, including 112 courses which will cover all the subjects of science, arts and business studies, both for SSC and HSC levels. If your exams are dawning, hurry! Download the app, and conquer your exams. l