This initiative is part of the 2022-23 WISE Edtech Accelerator Cohort.
What they do
Instill Education supports educators and aspiring teachers in their education journey through a digital professional development platform, Upskill. Upskill is an accessible multi-channel, mobile learning, credentialing and rewarding platform; effectively creating the type of impact and incentives to engage with professional development that existing systems lack. Built on Instill’s unique learning approach, Upskill comprises a learning management system with a library of modules that improve classroom and school practices, job boards and access to financial products. Instill’s goal is to increase engagement with professional development content by connecting improved performance in the classroom with the potential for higher social, career or financial mobility through stackable microcredentials and job opportunities.
Why it matters
By education outcomes, African countries make up many of the worst performing in the world. Central to this is woefully inadequate support for educators. Africa needs 15m additional teachers by 2030. Student outcomes continue to lag, with 61m learners projected to reach adolescence without basic life skills. To achieve this, we need more, better trained teachers and school leaders. While many interventions attempt to address these challenges, most fail due to a variety of factors, including complete reliance on donor funding with no path to sustainability and the adoption of piecemeal approaches vis-a-vis holistic interventions.
Instill Education supports educators from the moment they enter their teaching qualification to the moment they retire. Instill Education’s content is designed by African educators with deep experience in the classroom context. Modules are bite-sized and practical, with strong emphasis on application of techniques in the classroom. The credentials such as those provided by Instill Education can eventually lead to financial and career mobility.
Traction so far
Founded in 2015, Instill Education now works with over 8500 teachers from Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. Through Public-Private Partnerships with national and regional governments, the Instill Education team aims to further expand across the African continent.