By THE AFRICA BAZAAR Staff Writer
July 10, 2014
The international telecommunications and media company Millicom said it has launched a low-cost, user-friendly mobile English language learning service, EduMe English, in Rwanda.
The company said the service is available exclusively to its Tigo customers in Rwanda through subscription or on demand.
A first of its kind in, EduMe English provides access to education in a new and unique way using mobile and internet technology. Consumers are empowered to learn the English language on any mobile device at their own chosen time.
Given the significance of the English language as a global language, there is a big appetite in non-English speaking sub-Saharan Africa to learn English, and knowing the language is an important skill that can help in so many walks of life here.
EduMe English is a groundbreaking new product that will give people more opportunity to connect. EduMe English is due to launch in Tanzania in the coming months.
EduMe English combines listening, reading and speaking training through text lessons, quizzes and audio sessions where students select courses that gradually increase in difficulty. These combine high quality content recorded by native English speakers with instructions in Kinyarwanda, the local language spoken by many Rwandans.
The company said it also plans to launch an entrepreneurship course under its EduMe Business School brand to Tigo subscribers in Tanzania during the third quarter of 2014. The course is developed in co-operation with GSMA, the worldwide mobile industry body and will mark the introduction of the first purely mobile vocational business school in Africa.
EduMe English is developed by international experts in language learning and follows the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the globally-accepted framework for language learning.
EduMe is a global educational service established by Tigo’s parent company, Millicom. It uses mobile and internet technology to provide access to high quality education in Africa and Latin America on an anytime anywhere basis.
As the official language of many Africa countries, including Rwanda since 2009, English is extensively being used in business and education, there is considerable demand for accessible language tuition.
