A Cameroonian tech startup, Visionary Technologies Company, VTC, has relaunched its
innovative solution dubbed Scholar Information Management System, SIMS®, a learning and
school management app built to enable distant learning, accessible 24/7 anytime, anywhere.
The relaunching of this e-learning app is in response to one of the 13 measures published by
the Cameroon Government, March 27, 2020, to fight against coronavirus (COVID-19); the
promotion of the use of Education Technology as a means of education. The outbreak of the
pandemic has undoubtedly changed the operating system of countries the world over, with
businesses, churches and even schools shut down, leaving over half a billion learners out of
school for the first time ever in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus.
Though the first time the Cameroon Government is openly encouraging the use of e-learning,
this learning method has so far proven itself as stable and effective in countries already
applying it, with the help of newly developed tech learning platforms.
Inspired by the challenges faced by school in Cameroon, SIMS was conceived with an
objective to combine a multitude of solutions to tackle the problems facing the education
system in Africa.
SIMS® (Scholar Information Management System) an AI-powered innovative learning and school management app designed to provide learners , educators and administrators with a single robust, secure and integrated system to create blended or personalized and remote learning accessible 24/7 anytime anywhere.
The app currently comprises two major features, with dozens of
functionalities in each. SIMS® simulates a real-world class room, where students can login
and get classes and lectures, and teachers upload videos and lectures so that students in
every classes can study and be promoted to the next class, just like it is done in a normal
classroom scenario.
- The SIMS® Learner simulates the traditional classroom with features built to enable the same
teacher-student exchange. Here, learners login and get access to lectures through videos
and notes uploaded by teacher; get evaluated and promoted to the next class.
Providing school programmes like Cameroon General Education Exams( G.C.E), Baccalaureate, University Degree programs in rich content, a built-in networking for teacher-student interactions, file
sharing and assignment grading has been ensured, with a live chat room. - The SIMS® Manager, on its part, is a secure efficient management portal for schools to
manage invoices and auto reconcile fees payment, with other operations like timetables and
report card generations, fees collection, a database of all teachers and students, also including
communication facilities. The App has been tested, and is currently being used by two schools
with proof of efficiency. The SIMS project will improve on education for learners, as well as
support and develop teachers. It will also collect the definitive data set on education in Africa
for better policies.
The first version of the learning platform (SIMS®) was launched in 2017 in an effort to lend an
intervening arm in the education problem caused by the Anglophone crisis in the Northwest
and Southwest regions. It was however, put on hold due to insufficient funding and the lack of
qualified human resource, which unfortunately is still the case.
It is to be noted that the SIMS® project is a community project and flagship product of VTC
which recently won a 5000 USD in seed funding from Tony Elumelu Foundation 2019, and also won West Africa’s Innovation Awards 2019; AWARD CATEGORY: Most Customer- Focused Digital Marketing Company of the Year, ICT Leadership Category.
As we fight the coronavirus pandemic, it is there-for open for every interested party; be it volunteers, angel investors or goodwill ambassadors to join the already existing team, who are doing everything possible not to only beat the current crisis by bringing education beyond
walls through SIMS®, but also contributing in achieving United Nation’s SDG4 (Sustainable Development Goal four): Quality Education, not only for Cameroon but Africa and beyond.