MIRU-Hub & Spoke Model
In Pakistan 22 million students are outside school, another 20 million do not have access to quality teaching. Qualified teachers based in large cities do not go to smaller towns & rural areas.Parents cannot afford to pay semester fees of private schools which have marginally better teachers than that of government schools.There is lack of access to laptops & internet to most of these children.
Similar is situation in other developing countries like Bangladesh, Egypt etc.
To address the above problem we are working on a Hub & Spoke model to connect online qualified teachers in large cities to students in small towns & rural areas.To assist parents student will be able to pay per hour rather than monthly or term fees thus lowering cash burden on parents
Hubs
•To be established in Lahore & Karachi
•Tutors would teach online through Hubs
•Hubs would guide, manage and monitor the online sessions
Different online platforms will be utilized to deliver quality online education
Spokes
•Spokes are franchised online schools where students would sit in front of laptops
•Branded 21st century education provider
•Solar powered
•Established all across the country
Our target population is over 45 million schools students in Pakistan out of which 22 million at the moment do not go to school.
Remaining attend school but quality of teaching is adequate plus most schools require advance school monthly fees
Our innovative Hub & Spoke model will provide a new avenue for all these students to receive quality education in their own towns with a payment method which will not create burden on their parents.
RETLM team is led by an experienced edupreneur. By undertaking constant communication with different stakeholders the Hub & Spoke online education model has been designed.We have undertaken primary research by visiting different regions, talking with local female entrepreneurs who will run Spokes , undertaken interviews to identify the reasons why parents are not sending children to school e.g. Advance school fees being one of the cash burden they face. Also Pakistan growing quality internet coverage now has made this innovative Hub & Spoke model a viable reality.
- Enable personalized learning and individualized instruction for learners who are most at risk for disengagement and school drop-out
- Prototype
Looking forward to work with Solve partners who can can help in making Hub & Spoke model a global model crossing different cultures & regions i.e. South Asia, Africa, Central Asia etc.
- Financial (e.g. improving accounting practices, pitching to investors)
Hub & Spoke model addresses the problem being faced by most of the developing countries. Students in tier 2 & tier 3 towns & in rural areas drop out of school. Two main issues:
-Cash flow issue of the parents
-Lack of quality teachers
Our model will utilize quality teachers in Hubs in main cities to teach online students sitting in SPOKES run by a female franchisee. Students/parents will be able to pay hourly for each session.Hence individual students will be able proceed at their own pace. This would be a catalytic mode meeting the changing needs of the 21st century by addressing the two biggest reasons for school drop outs in developing world.
Next Year Impact Goal
Thousands of students in Pakistan (especially female students) who had left school should be sitting in Spokes set up across Pakistan
Five Next Years Impact Goal
Setting up Hub & Spokes online learning network set up in Pakistan , Bangladesh, Egypt & Kenya assisting millions of students avail quality teaching in Spokes set up in their own locations
Measuring indicators
-Online tutors trained
-Hubs fully operational
-Franchise agreement
-Identifying local female entrepreneurs for running Franchise Spokes
-No of operational Spokes
Quality teachers & cash flow issues dogged the target population in Pakistan.
In interviews undertaken, in secondary research covered it is a recurring theme that quality teachers are either not available in small towns & rural areas or they move out to Lahore & Karachi.
Hence by setting up a network of Hub & Spokes solution will provide a new way to transferring education while addressing the quality issue Plus, by allowing parents to pay hourly rather than advance school fees of 3 months which is the norm would also provide an innovative solution to address the cash flow crunch which leads to high school drop out.
The Hub & Spoke model will require computers in both Hub & Spokes.
There would be requirement of sufficient bandwidth, plus use of different online teaching platform such as Google meet, Zoom , Webex etc.
- A new business model or process that relies on technology to be successful
- Ancestral Technology & Practices
- Audiovisual Media
- Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality
- 4. Quality Education
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
In a country where less than 18 % females work, in our organization over 80 % are female workers. The model envisages participation from all participation from all strata of society across the country.
Hub & Spoke model will be run by RETLM.
Spokes will be run as franchise model by local female entrepreneurs.
Plan is to run Spokes at least 12 hours a day.
Students attending Spokes would be making hourly payments.
Revenues will be shared between RETLM (Franchiser) and Female entrepreneurs who will run Spokes as franchisee
- Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)
At the start we are looking for initial investment from investors plus possible Grants. But we believe the model is sustainable as payments from students studying the Spokes should make is both the franchiser i.e. US the company as well as female franchisee
We are looking for grants.Have shared the basic concept with executives involved in the education sector of a global funding body.
Have also been in discussion with investors
CEO