Edtech startup, Teesas, liberalises access to education, signs Mercy Johnson-Okojie

Teesas, an African-focused Edtech start-up providing educational solutions via web and mobile applications, recently signed-on Nollywood actress Mercy Johnson-Okojie as its first brand ambassador.

The deal which would run for two years was signed at the firm’s offices on Thursday, December 9, 2021, in Lagos.

Addressing journalists in Lagos recently, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Teesas, Osayi Izedonmwen, said Teesas is a new educational app focused specifically on teaching children aged 2 – 12 years subjects like Maths, Sciences and Literacy through engaging tutor-led videos and e-books in English, as well as educational content in major Nigerian languages such as Bini, Hausa, Ibibio, Igbo, Ijaw, Yoruba, and Tiv.

Specifically, he said there are plans to include French soon adding that Teesas also provides e-books and live classes to further enhance the understanding of the children and a companion app for parents that provide personalised content recommendation and real-time feedback on their children’s performance such as duration of videos watched within a course, percentage of revision quiz completed, test scores and areas of need, among others.

Continuing, Izedonmwen said the videos are in line with the national curriculum adding that adults seeking to learn their mother tongue would also find the app helpful.

According to him, “the concept of delivering educational video content in native African languages is exciting for most parents who see the value of sustaining their mother tongue with their kids. Apart from Teesas, there isn’t any app or service across Africa that is doing this today.”

Speaking further, he said, “Mercy Johnson Okogie, apart from having a successful career as an actress, also speaks five Nigerian languages and has never been a victim of any scandal.

He added that she is also the mother of four children and known to be enthusiastic about her family and her children’s education.

He also said the actress has been engaged to promote the app as a home tutor and a platform for the learning of native Nigerian languages in a fun and engaging way. As part of the deal, he said the Kogi State-born actress would also feature in Teesas marketing communications campaigns to be deployed in mainstream and digital media.

He said, “Okojie has children that are in the same age range as Teesas target users and her ability to speak several Nigerian languages makes her a natural fit. As a working mother, she also understands the need of busy parents who are seeking safe and educational content such as those offered by the Teesas app to keep their children engaged.”

He disclosed that there is also a companion app called the Teesas Parents that provides personalized content recommendations and real-time feedback on their children’s performance.

Reacting, Okogie said: “Our strength is in our diversity and it is important that our Nigerian children are made aware of this and get integrated into various aspects of our culture. This partnership is also important to me because of the educational value Teesas provides and the incorporation of the Montessori system. More importantly, it is tailor-made for Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.”

The Teesas app can be downloaded on the Google Playstore and offers three subscription options: N3,000 monthly, N8,100 quarterly and N27,000 yearly. It is also available as a bundled offer on the Imose Omotab 2 educational tablets.