10 minutes school is the largest online education platform in Bangladesh. Through its networks, Ayman Sadiq, the founder of 10 minutes school, and the team has provided access to quality education for all classes of students in Bangladesh. Recently, the company received a $2 million funding from Sequoia Capital based in India. However, the journey to this point was not easy. Here is the story of 10 Minutes School and how it changed education perception and propagation in Bangladesh.
The Story of 10 Minutes School
Ayman Sadiq started 10 minutes School as a YouTube channel back in 2014. The initial aim of the platform was to address a few key constraints facing the 40 million students within the national curriculum. One of the key constraints was access to better education and teaching methods. This initiative also focused on democratizing and disseminating knowledge at a free cost. And finally, overcoming the geological barrier of regions and countries, so that anyone can access the same content from anywhere in the world.
Read 20 Most Promising Education Start-Ups in Bangladesh
Before the YouTube kicked-off, Ayman used to make infographics of the educational content and used SlideShare to publish them. The contents were innovative and engaging for the students. As more and more students got involved with his content, Ayman was approached by a group to make an infographic video titled “One formula to rule them all”. Long story short, that video did not get accepted by the commissioning group.
After that Ayman ended up opening a YouTube channel to publish the video. The video became an instant hit overnight. The viral reach paved the way for video-based content and access to a larger audience base. That 10-minute-long video ideated 10 minutes school.
Read Angel Investment 101: Is It the Right Track for Your Startup?
The Journey to Becoming the Largest EdTech in Bangladesh
Ayman and the team focused on solving a key pressing issue of Bangladesh – access to quality education. Though the education curriculum is almost uniform across rural and urban areas, the quality of imparted education grossly differs. The teachers in rural areas do not have access to different training and grooming facilities that are otherwise available in the city areas. As a result, the teachers also fail to properly disseminate knowledge engagingly.
This is where the effort of the current government in digitizing Bangladesh helped the likes of 10 minutes of school. The increasing connectivity initiatives meant even a rural child now has access to the internet and smart devices. And a free platform like Facebook and YouTube made it easier than ever to connect content with the students.
Read 7 Local Startups Get Tk 150m Funds from Startup Bangladesh Limited
The growing popularity motivated 10 minutes of School to focus on curriculum-based content. Within a year, the organization was able to make chapter and subject-wise content for grade 1 to 12 students. But did they stop there? No. 10 Minutes School then moved on to making video lessons and content for different competitive and entrance exams.
Today 10 Minutes School has grown much from its initial video lessons days. The platform now engages over 40 million learners through their different channels. With over 2.5 million daily engagements, 10 Minutes School is single-handedly paving the way for educational democratization and access to quality content.
Read Sohopathi: An Emerging Online Education Platform in Bangladesh
The platform now has over 20,000 video lessons and over 1200 smartbooks. It also houses almost 50,000 quizzes and over 1300 blog content. The 10 Minutes School is a glaring example that with will and effort, it is possible to create a better future for the bright minds scattered across Bangladesh. This innovative venture showed that education, no matter how hard the subject might be, can be fun and engaging. And with the right technology, it can reach anyone, anywhere on the globe.
$2 Million Funding from Sequoia Capital: What it Means for the Future?
10 Minutes School and its content has been grossly tech-based. Whether it is content generation or content propagation, a lion’s share of the cost in the process is involved with technological infrastructure . The organization has had a partnership with Robi. Robi is one of the largest Bangladeshi telecommunication companies that has supported 10 Minutes School since its early days. Robi allowed 10 Minutes School to scale up their contents and areas with sufficient funding.
Read GP Accelerator Program 3.0: Paving the Way for Successful Startups
But to fulfill the dreams of 10 Minutes School more assistance was required. The organization also received co-operation from the ICT ministry. The ministry helped in launching different skill development programs in 64 districts of Bangladesh. It acted as the activation partner whereas 10 Minutes School developed the training content. In addition to that, the organization partnered with the a2i program and different UNDP projects. The aim was to make education and knowledge more accessible across different social denominations.
But the pandemic has been a game-changer for 10 Minutes School. The effective closure of the educational institution for almost over a year hindered the participation of students in classroom-based education in different parts of Bangladesh. During this period, 10 Minutes School saw unprecedented growth in its content and lesson engagement across all platforms. This online education platform emerged as an effective alternative to classroom education in Bangladesh.
Read How to Test and Validate Your Startup Idea?
In 2021, the organization saw a 12% growth in its business amidst the pandemic. It clearly showed that EdTech is the future of education. The students made the transition from age-old traditional classroom-based learning to a more advanced system. 10 Minutes School proved that online distance learning does not have to complement classroom learning anymore. It can be an effective alternative if such situations arise or continue.
The team also launched a few paid upskilling courses during this time. The $2 Million funds will be aimed at rapidly developing the content base and expanding to new learners in Bangladesh and globally.
Read Can E-Learning Substitute Classroom Learning?
The organization plans to launch several live coaching classes for primary-level students. It also has plans for designing interactive textbooks for primary, secondary, and higher secondary levels.
The Seed Funding: Lessons for Future EdTechs
10 Minutes School is not the only EdTech in Bangladesh. But it is the first of its kind to receive such a high amount of seed funding. The pandemic and how 10 Minutes School stood up to the test of time can be a great example for future EdTech startups.
In today’s world, learning is not limited to physical classrooms anymore. Neither does it have to be constrained to a certain concentration or syllabus. Now anyone can learn whatever they want thanks to tons of resources that are available. What EdTechs can do is ease the process of learning. They can create platforms like 10 Minute School. It can be based on different concentrations and learning agendas.
Read Seed Fund Raising for Startups: Things to Know About
Global connectivity and internet access have made the process of disseminating education a lot easier than it was before. EdTechs can emerge as a leader in this new order of knowledge democratization.