As tech continues to permeate every aspect of life, more and more innovative solutions are being created to transform traditional industries. At the peak of the COVID pandemic in 2020, edtech platforms witnessed a rise in demand as the importance of their services became more apparent. Since then, the sector has grown exponentially. From online classes to administrative management, tech solutions are now intertwined with the educational sector.
One innovative platform within this sector is Unify, the holistic edtech platform for tertiary learning in Nigeria. Unify is leveraging technology to digitally replicate the physical organization, and business operating model of tertiary institutions in Nigeria while providing these institutions with modern technology and adequate infrastructure at zero cost.
Unify aims to provide tertiary institutions with innovative learning solutions that will help shape their student’s career development process and equip them with resources, skillsets, and opportunities needed for optimum career outcomes in a modern and unconventional learning space.
Unify caters to all stakeholders in the tertiary institution lifecycle; from parents, school admins, lecturers, to students. With Unify, tertiary institutions in Nigeria can maximize productivity while extending their reach beyond the school walls.
Enrollment in tertiary institutions is affected by several factors, including quality of education, ease of access, and cost of infrastructure. For decades, Nigerian tertiary institutions have been plagued by poor development and infrastructure. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been in negotiations with the Federal Government of Nigeria since 2009 and was recently locked in an eight-month-long strike over financial issues, including funding to improve the state of the schools. According to data from the World Bank, despite a population of over a billion, tertiary enrollment in sub-Saharan Africa is at 9.4%, well below the global average of 38%. Even with the current tertiary enrollment, a lot of graduates coming out of these institutions are inadequately skilled to face the job market. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s unemployment rate is currently at 33.3%, the highest it has ever been, and the underemployment rate stands at 22.8%. Unemployment among young people is at 42.5%, with half of the demographic being underemployed. These high numbers among the youth population have been attributed in part to their lack of employable skills. Tertiary institutions in Nigeria do not educate students in areas that match the skill requirements for the job market, leaving many graduates and youth un- or underemployed. This, combined with an inadequate job market is fuelling the continued brain drain that has plagued the country since the late 1980s.
These problems are what Unify has set out to solve. By incorporating technology into the educational sector, Unify is providing tailored solutions to all stakeholders in tertiary institutions.
What Unify offers
For school administrators, lecturers, and students, Unify provides a management system that enables users to manage their activities from an easy-to-use dashboard specifically tailored to their needs. This dashboard solution eliminates the need for manual record-keeping and problems of mismanagement, fraud, and data manipulation. With Unify’s technology, school administration can also manage fee collection effectively in specific, easy-to-manage categories. Unify also provides a system that tracks applications and registration online for prospective students.
For lecturers and students, Unify provides e-learning solutions to enable learning beyond school walls. This solution includes audio and video conferencing tools to enable online live classes and communication with students. This system also allows lecturers to schedule classes, mark attendance, and upload scores online so students can access it from anywhere, at any time.
Schools onboarded on Unify also get a free learning lab for their students. The learning lab is designed to upskill undergrads and empower them to become the next generation of leaders with relevant courses and skills. This is an unconventional learning space built and equipped with modern technology and resources for students to collaborate, co-create, and learn in teams. Unify’s goal here is to empower students and youths at large with relevant in-demand skills that will guarantee a good career trajectory and prepare them for workplace readiness. The certification and skill acquisition offer is not restricted to tertiary institutions, it is also open to anyone looking to upskill or learn a new skill. With this, anyone looking to learn and improve their career prospects can get certified.
Unify also keeps parents in the loop with how their ward’s education is going. Parents are given a user ID which grants them access to their ward’s academic performance.
With already established schools that have their own systems, Unify allows them to migrate their current data onto the Unify platform to enable cohesive record-keeping. Audit logs of every user’s activity can also be pulled from the platform to allow easy referencing.
Unify finance
Including administrative and learning tools, Unify also provides financial solutions for all stakeholders in the tertiary education sector. A wallet system is provided for all the users on the platform, each wallet is linked with an ID card that also functions as a debit card. With these wallets, students can pay their school fees, staff salaries can be paid, and other financial transactions can be performed by lecturers, school administrators, and students. These cards will be accepted anywhere in Nigeria to make both online and in-store payments and withdrawals.
The Unify wallet system allows for easier financial management and limits forgery. With this system, reports of the entire monetary transactions an institution performs can be pulled up, easily saving administrators time which can be allotted to other tasks.
Unify’s goal is to help progressive institutions drive impact beyond school walls by providing them with innovative learning solutions and infrastructure that will help shape their student’s career development process and equip them with resources, skillsets, and opportunities needed for optimum career outcomes in the modern world. Upskilling learning products like Unify encourage community-based and collaborative learning. They also facilitate exposure and mastery of modern technology and facilities.
Ultimately, Unify aims to improve productivity and efficiency, reduce operating costs for institutions, and increase enrollment and revenue, while simultaneously empowering students with the necessary skills for the best career outcomes in the modern world. Tertiary education has been linked to social innovations, economic growth, and better economic outcomes, not just for the individual but the society as a whole. In sub-Saharan Africa, graduation from a tertiary institution increases earnings by 21%. Unify aims to improve society as a whole by creating edtech solutions for a crucial sector of society and empowering all the stakeholders involved. So when you think of tertiary education in Nigeria in the future, think Unify.
To request a demo of Unify’s services and what it can do for your institution click here.
