KARACHI: TikTok and edtech startup Edkasa are teaming up with the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) to extend the #ExamReady scholarship program to over 10,000 deserving students in the province, with the objective of digitising learning processes and building on improved learning outcomes.
In early 2022, TikTok, Edkasa and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) launched #ExamReady, a first of its kind, STEM focused digital learning programme to facilitate online education and distance learning for high school students. Earlier this year, the #ExamReady scholarship programme was announced to reward online study grants to 18,000 deserving students from across Pakistan.
The partnership with Sindh Education Foundation will help promote quality education across disadvantaged areas of Sindh. The scholarships will be extended to post-primary students in grades IX to XII in Sindh. The partnership is the latest in a series of steps taken by TikTok and Edkasa to improve learning outcomes through the use of technology, by providing secondary and high school students with a world-class online learning experience through the Edkasa app.
The #ExamReady campaign, designed to help millions of Pakistani students, brought to life over 500 educational videos online covering Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. These included study tips and exam hacks. The educational videos became an instant favourite with Pakistani students on TikTok, garnering over 558 million views and close to 114,000 video creations since its launch.
Edkasa’s efforts with TikTok come as the short-form video platform pivots towards creating greater impact on the communities in which it operates. TikTok’s success has also enabled it to create greater value through partnerships with apps like Edkasa that also has over 480,000 downloads.
Multiple testimonials from students and their parents have also conveyed that those who have struggled in the traditional classroom learning model due to an overburdened system have reaped immense value from the app and TikTok’s platform.
Zara Basharat Higgs, Manager Public Policy Programs and Partnerships, for South Asia and Pakistan, said: “We believe that education is a fundamental right and technology has an integral role to play in improving access and outcomes for students. We are proud to partner with Edkasa and the Sindh Education Foundation to extend our #ExamReady scholarship program and help even more students in disadvantaged areas of Sindh gain access to quality education. Through this partnership, we hope to continue to make a positive impact on the lives of young people in Pakistan and beyond.”
Fahad Tanveer, CEO at Edkasa, said: “There is great potential to be unlocked when we work together to make quality education more accessible for our children. With strategic support from TikTok and the tremendous initiative demonstrated by the team of the Sindh Education Foundation, we are grateful to support the learning of students across Sindh on the Edkasa app.”
Abdul Kabir Kazi, Managing Director, Sindh Education Foundation, said that, “The Government of Sindh, through the SEF, has taken various steps for the promotion and development of education across the province, mainly in the form of Public-Private Partnership initiatives benefiting around 850,000 students in more than 2600 schools and non-formal education centers across Sindh.”
He further said that, “#ExamReady is a quality initiative through which students have been provided access to premium online content. It could not have been a more timely intervention as the students were preparing for their board exams, and through this partnership, our students have gotten a platform to improve their capacities further. The added feature of preparation for SAT and entrance exams has also been widely acknowledged by the students of Grade-XII who are very excited”.
