EdTech platforms such as uLesson, Afrilearn, and Gradely are quietly reshaping how children study in Nigeria
When 14-year-old Mariam from Kaduna sits with her mother’s small Tecno phone every evening, it is not to chat with friends. It is to watch animated mathematics lessons on Afrilearn.
“She used to cry whenever it was time for maths,” her mother says with a smile. “Now she tells me, ‘Mummy, let me finish one more quiz.’ I do not know what they put inside that app, but it is working.”
Stories like Mariam’s are becoming more common across Nigeria, where EdTech platforms such as uLesson, Afrilearn, and Gradely are quietly reshaping how children study in a country where many schools lack teachers, textbooks, and basic classroom tools.
For students preparing for WAEC and NECO exams that can determine the direction of their lives, these apps have become a lifeline.
At the recent CcHUB Edtech Festival in Abuja, AyoOluwa Nihinlola, CEO of uLesson K–12, captured the desperation and hope driving these innovations. “There are over 10.5 million children out of school in Nigeria,” he said. “The system is stretched. However, technology can help us reach children we may never meet physically.”
uLesson’s colourful video lessons and practice quizzes are helping many students, especially in crowded public schools, finally understand topics that once felt impossible. Some teachers now play uLesson videos in class to complement their lessons, while parents use the app to support children who cannot afford after-school lessons.
Afrilearn, on the other hand, speaks the language of today’s children. Its gamified exercises, animations, and reward points turn learning into a playful challenge. “Our students compete to see who gets the highest stars,” says Mrs Ojo, a teacher in Ibadan who uses the platform in her JSS2 class. “For the first time, some of them are excited about science.”
However, understanding is not the only problem children face. Some simply slip through the cracks unnoticed. That is where Gradely steps in. The platform uses analytics to detect learning gaps, something most Nigerian classrooms cannot do because of large class sizes. Many parents say it feels like having an invisible teacher who quietly whispers, “Your child is struggling here—pay attention.”
Despite the excitement, challenges remain: high data costs, patchy internet, and scepticism from some educators. Nevertheless, families continue to improvise—borrowing phones at night, downloading lessons when data is cheaper, or sharing devices among siblings.
Still, for thousands of Nigerian children, these apps are more than digital tools. They are becoming companions, confidence-builders, and bridges to a future their parents once feared might slip away.
In a country where a single exam can shape a young person’s destiny, uLesson, Afrilearn, and Gradely are helping children not just learn—but believe again.
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