Nigerian online tutoring platform TutorNG is battling competition by implementing learning management systems (LMS) on its platform and using physical methods to encourage adoption.
Tutoring platforms are springing up with some regularity both in Nigeria and elsewhere on the continent, but TutorNG is one of the more established, having launched in 2014 and obtained backing from Venture Garden Group.
The startup’s platform connects tutors with students, making courses available online and offline. It was launched in a bid to improve learning outcomes in the face of rising failure rates and unemployment.
Yet other companies have the same idea. Head of product Fehintolu Olaogun tells Disrupt Africa the startup has had to deal with serious competition from other learning platforms that offer similar programmes. TutorNG has had to innovate to stay ahead of the game.
“Our blended learning approach is what differentiates us,” Olaogun says. “We blend online and offline learning for all our programmes, and we have learning management systems (LMS) to manage both types of learning which we make available to businesses too.”
A learning management system is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of e-learning courses. Olaogun says integrating LMS into its platform is TutorNG’s “foremost innovative approach”.
“For the first time in education the process of monitoring student and tracking engagement can be automated, without the need for the tedious and ineffective manual monitoring by school authorities,” he says.
“The LMS also enables the management of unlimited physical learning centres, making it possible for the first time to effectively deploy and enforce learning curriculum across wide geographical areas, both online and offline.”
TutorNG, like most new businesses in this space, has seen “fair” but inconsistent uptake. Around 2,000 learners have paid for courses, over 30 organisations have used its services. The startup has had to take a different approach to encouraging uptake.
“So far the company has witnessed high demand periods, followed by low demand periods. Being a new player in the market explains this inconsistency, with many models still being fine-tuned. It can be safely assumed that the market is very potent and we look forward to experiencing more uptake in the near future,” says Olaogun.
“The major challenge is the rate of technology adoption in learning by businesses and individuals. We are currently tackling this with the introduction of physical programmes and our learning centre management system.”
TutorNG has two major planks to its business model.
“Our first model relies on the TutorNG learning management system, where students pay to get trained in any of our available courses in the most accessible learning facility to their location and online. Though this is still growing, the profit potential of this avenue has been quite compelling,” says Olaogun.
The second planks sees the startup deploying its LMS tech to third-party businesses. Olaogun says there are plans in place to expand across the whole of Nigeria from its Lagos base within a short period of time.
“This involves the establishment of several physical learning centres in every state of the country,” he says. “This will be achieved by acquiring or partnering with existing learning institutes or platforms. The plan also includes establishing a strong presence in every state by growing steadily through local governments.”
Olaogun is confident on growth of the e-learning market in general, which though not new to Africa is still largely in its infancy stage considering the adoption rate.
“Africans have mostly been late adopters considering the challenges with infrastructure, but as internet penetration grows across the African continent and the force of demand and supply forces data costs down, more Africans are expected to embrace the e-learning space and continue to drive the upward growth of the industry,” he says.
Problems with infrastructure are gradually being addressed as more players enter the telecoms space, with Olaogun saying the key for TutorNG was innovating to stay on top of the competition.
