As the world comes to a halt amidst the global pandemic that we are in, the people’s thirst for continuous learning still lingers. Staying healthy should be the community’s priority right now, but it’s true that we still have this itching to be productive in any way we can. However, these are not ordinary times and we have to get creative in how we pursue learning despite the fact that our reality has already been altered. With schools closed for an indefinite amount of time, it’s time to set our sights on the value of online learning.
Along with the surge of internet accessibility in Southeast Asia, the region’s e-learning ecosystem has seen a massive boost. Even third-world countries in the region have delivered internet connection to rural areas, providing students and teachers with access to tons of online learning apps. This has been very helpful especially if you consider the poor state of educational materials available in these rural areas. For example, most public schools in the Philippines have lopsided student-teacher ratios and low availability of resources. As a result, the quality of instruction is not ideal and students don’t have their own books.
But worry no more! E-learning platforms have been gaining ground in the industry, and more and more young minds and dedicated teachers are taking advantage of it. With schools remaining closed for at least a couple more months, let’s take a look at the top Southeast Asia-based online learning platforms where you can access unlimited resources of learning content and interactive tutorials.
1. HarukaEDU (Indonesia)
This e-learning platform started out by providing free online classes, but they have now expanded their services by partnering with top universities to offer certified online courses through its UniEDU feature. To further widen their reach, they also recently introduced the CorporateEDU feature to connect with corporate offices and employees and provide them with skills and leadership training.
2. TOPICA (Vietnam)
If you want to polish your handle of the English language, then Topica is the right answer for you. Through its Topica Native platform, you can engage in live speech tutorial sessions with native American, Australian and European teachers while also having the privilege to access more than 300 modules of self-study and individualized language learning materials. Topica has also delivers short-skill courses and online degree programs to over 16 universities from the USA, Philippines and Vietnam.
3. Ruangguru (Indonesia)
Ruangguru is one of the pioneers of educational technology mobilization in Indonesia, and it is also the hottest commodity in the market right now. This e-learning app offered free online courses for students and teachers as soon as schools closed since the spread of COVID-19. It is now ranked at the top of Google Playstore, overtaking even the most popular apps like TikTok and WhatsApp in terms of number of users. Ruangguru’s services include live classes for students from the first to twelfth grade, practice exams and more than 250 interactive modules and videos.
4. Zenius Education (Indonesia)
Zenius has been in the e-learning ecosystem for more than a decade, specializing in helping Indonesian students prepare for their national exams. Zenius has also done an admirable job responding to the global crisis as it recently partnered with Gojek to provide free online lessons through the latter’s app.
5. XSEED Education (Singapore)
Focusing on building up problem solving and critical thinking skills, XSEED has linked with schools across Singapore to cater 21st-century style teaching-learning approach. Teachers can also make the most of its platform as XSEED also specializes in delivering real-time assessments and individualized student feedback.
6. Yola (Vietnam)
Just a couple of days after Vietnam announced the nationwide shutdown of schools, Yola immediately scaled up its services and now has 10,000 students registered to their online platform. They are known for their SMART Learning Platform, a fully-online feature that allows students to study English wherever they go and whenever they are available.
7. Glints (Singapore)
This career and recruitment-focused platform has grown to become one of the best edtech startups in the Southeast Asian region. They have launched the Glints Academy, a coding bootcamp where they provide intensive training and workshops for aspiring developers and programmers in the IT industry.
8. Geniebook (Singapore)
Through its interactive live online lessons and a question bank of more than 80,000 subject-focused questions and worksheets, Geniebook has helped students to prepare for their examinations at their own pace. They also recently introduced their Home Edition Package feature, a platform where parents can track their child’s progress and performance.
