Schoolbiz: Tanzanian app linking African students in China eyes expansion

Schoolbiz, an application meant to help African students in China connect was launched in 2017 but it got a boost last year especially through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tanzanian student Kizwalo Simbila, launched the app, a month before leaving to pursue further studies at the Ningbo University in China.

He took Schoolbiz along and continued to work on getting fellow African students to patronize it as a medium to connect but also share ideas on their academic and social pursuits.

Now he is aiming to expand the project to other countries, he told the BBC in an interview.

So far, the free app has some 500 students on the platform accessing among others information reklating to scholarships, job opportunities and tips on how to develop their ideas.

“Students or young people in general always have a lot of great ideas, unfortunately most of the time, there’s no-one there to help them with bringing these ideas into life and that is where SchoolBiz comes in,” Mr Simbila told the BBC.

Simbila speaks about Schoolbiz: Citizen Tanzania report of February 2020

Simbila says the idea to start an online education application came to mind in 2016. “At that time there wasn’t a platform quite like this, that would get students from different corners of the world to convene to one online space and learn, exchange ideas and interact. So I thought to myself – why not start one?” he says.

There’s a vacuum in Tanzania’s education sector. A lack of easily accessible academic material has made learning become a big challenge. But through the introduction of digital means, noticeable improvement has been recorded.

“Nowadays most people own smartphones. Through such gadgets engagement and access to academic material is made easier. This inevitably improves academic performance,” says Simbila.

He adds: "A student can start a topic online and others can join in the discussion. They can create groups for themselves and invite more students to join. They can also search for scholarships, job opportunities through the sub-forums created in the platform.”

Lubango Zilawoneka, a student at the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology in China, is one among the beneficiaries of the platform.

Zilawoneka says through the forum he has gotten connection with students from different parts of the world.

“I am planning to create my own community that will link and invite people from all corners of the world to share ideas.

Through such forums, we can have a better space for Tanzanian students to engage and be availed to different opportunities such as scholarships,” he says.

Hanipha Muki, a student at the Institute of Finance Management (IFM) has benefited from the online discussions that are conducted regularly on the online academic platform. “SchoolBiz has helped me connect more with my fellow students and through online engagement are we able to learn more and grow together as a community,” she says.

For Victor Faustine, a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management at Ardhi University, it’s the connectivity and opportunity to learn more from different people that have made him find the benefit of using online academic apps.

“I have been able to connect with thousands of other students from across the world, sharing resources and knowledge,” he says.

The ever-evolving global trends and dynamics have made online academic apps become more important. Through apps are students able to share thoughts and knowledge. It is such advantages that made Emmanuel Wambura from the University of Dar es Salaam sign up with such apps.

“E-learning apps enable us to be up-to-date with everything that is going on in the global academic field. So I find it very useful being a part of such a growing online student platform,” Wambura says.

Considering the rising enrollment numbers in learning institutions, pressure has to be eased in the access of academic material. The physical copies of books by scholars are not enough to cater to the needs of the demanding students. It is from this shortcoming that e-learning forums gain more relevance.

The cost of accessing study material reduces tenfold compared the amount spent trying to access physical copies of related content.

As Simbila, Given Edward, Ephraim Swilla and the rest continue to the pave the way for others in this digital space, Tanzanians should fervently make the most of such opportunities by accessing online forums to learn and network.