Education app sees strong growth potential in Philippines

Before it announced its official launch in the Philippines, Singapore-based education company Zookal made available in the country a month ago its hugely successful app, also called Zookal, which has been downloaded more than 30,000 times since then.

This app allows Filipino students with a smartphone to access and go through the 20,000 practice multiple-choice questionnaires created by more than 500 of the country’s best teachers.

Available for free download via the Google Play Store and iOS App Store, the app’s content has been crafted and prepared in accordance with the Philippine education curriculum. It simulates the nature of multiple-choice entrance tests to allow students to swipe through questions and complete quizzes, and is perfect for those reviewing for entrance tests and licensure examinations, such as the Upcat, Acet, Civil Service Examination, and NSAT.

“Several factors motivated our team to launch the concept of Zookal in the Philippines. First, we saw how Filipinos value education more than anything. Majority of the budget allotted by the government goes to the sector,” said Jon Tse, co-founder of Zookal.

“Second, with over 30 percent of Filipinos being a smartphone user and how this percentage is expected to vastly grow over the years according to a report recently made by the IDC, we know that Filipinos can readily adopt this digital education resource,” he added.

In aiming to make education more affordable and accessible to everyone, Zookal is catering to those who have limited access to books and review centers, which could be very costly.

“We are inspired by the story of Efren Penaflorida, who earned the CNN Hero of the Year title in 2010 because of his Pinoy Kariton Educator concept. He would go around different villages and bring along with him school materials for street children. We believe the cause we stand for is no different,” Tse said.

Instilling strong and healthy study habits in Filipinos

Once the questionnaires are completed, app users earn additional study tips that have been compiled by oblation scholars and top teachers from Teach for the Philippines.

These tips are aimed atinstilling strong and healthy study habits in Filipino students, ultimately improving their study outcomes and enhancing their educational experience.

“We are very proud to have made this impact in the first few weeks of the launch. The positive feedback from our users has been overwhelming, and we are working very diligently to enhance the product,” Tse said.

“Buying books and going to review centers might not be feasible for every student, so if we can help some students access resources that were previously unavailable to them, then we will strive to do so on as big a scale as possible,” he added.

Among the improvements included in their pipeline is explaining to users why certain answers are correct and others are wrong. They are also working on expanding the content to cover more tests, including the NCLEX, IELTS and GMAT.

The app is also available for direct download at www.zookal.com.ph.