No data costs for Snapplify users as the edtech company’s digital education tools are zero-rated by South African telecommunications companies.
Pan-African edtech company Snapplify has joined the list of educational-content websites being zero-rated by South African telecommunications companies. In order to support the education and health sectors during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown, South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) has called for the zero-rating of relevant online content and websites, so that citizens can access these resources with no data charges.
During COVID-19-related school closures, and now, even as educational institutions begin to open at limited capacity, schools across the country have turned to online or blended learning to keep up with the curriculum. But for many teachers, learners and parents, high data costs have been a prohibitive factor in continuing to learn digitally. ‘Snapplify is thrilled about the zero-rating, which will go a long way to make key educational resources more easily available to those who cannot afford the costs of data,’ said the company’s CEO, Wesley Lynch. ‘Easy access to e-learning tools and materials has always been a priority of ours.’In April, Snapplify announced the launch of Free Access – a programme that provides teachers, learners and parents with free and easy access to top-quality, curriculum-aligned ebooks that they would usually have to pay for. Snapplify Free Access is set to run for the remainder of the 2020 academic year, ensuring that students get uninterrupted access to the learning materials they need. Students can read and engage with content through the Snapplify Reader app, which works across a range of devices and operating systems, and allows for offline use.
‘Snapplify’s tools have been built specifically to address connectivity challenges,’ noted Lynch, going on to say: ‘Our team is passionate about the power of digital tools to address issues of access and it’s a source of pride for us to be in a position to make a real difference to thousands of students during this difficult time.’Last month, Snapplify also launched Free Access in Kenya.
Hundreds of thousands of learners are already accessing educational resources from Snapplify, digitally. Register your Snapplify user account online for free to get started.Learn more about our features for teaching and learning remotely, or email us at hello@snapplify.com to chat about your specific needs.
