Spanish maths app to South Africa’s rescue

OUR country is in crisis when it comes to mathematics.

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2016 Global Information Technology Report, South Africa placed 139th on the list of maths and science education quality. Out of all the countries surveyed, ours finished last.

However, it doesn’t need to stay this way. Spanish maths education company Smartick has launched its online learning method, the Smartick Method, in South Africa to help our country improve its overall mathematics education.

Javier Arroyo, co-founder of Smartick, said following the WEF’s rating, that: “It is crucial to improve South African kids’ maths skills.”

Founded more than six years ago, and used by 30 000 pupils across 70 countries, Smartick has had a high success rate: 83% of children have improved their grades in maths, and 94% improved their calculation skills.

Smartick is for use by children aged 4 to 14. The app can be downloaded onto a computer or smartphone and has a 15-minute daily maths session with users. Using advanced artificial intelligence, the daily sessions are adapted in real time to an individual pupil’s learning needs. It also gets the parents involved, by sending them the result of every daily session, and communicating with them via e-mail or telephone.

Due to its huge success, the company has received global recognition. Last year, it was chosen as one of the top 30 global start-ups in New York by The Next Web, one of the world’s largest online publications. In 2015, it was chosen as one of the world’s four best education technology projects by the European Commission and ranked by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as one of the top 15 start-ups with the highest potential of expanding to the US.

New users will receive a 15-day free trial, after which it will cost R299 per month. The app is updated with new content every 4-6 weeks. – Tyler Roodt