When she was studying at university, Verónica Silva needed a private tutor to pass a subject. But when she tried to find one online, she discovered that there were none in her area or for a price she could afford, and was surprised that she couldn't find solutions online. Faced with this situation, the young woman decided to turn this shortage into an opportunity to contribute something to society.
This is how the Argentinian created the Apprendo app, a technological initiative that connects private teachers with students in all kinds of subjects: classes, courses, languages, programming, musical instruments, workshops, and more. Thanks to this solution, Silva is one of the winners of MIT Technology Review in Spanish's Innovators Under 35 Latin America 2020.
"We try to promote free knowledge and unite supply and demand in the everyday environment of private classes. It is aimed at all age groups. There is diversity and universality in the different disciplines that are taught in Apprendo," explains Silva. It is an inclusive educational platform because Silva has contacted teachers specializing in helping people with special needs, such as visual, hearing or motor disabilities.
The Innovator seeks to help people in isolated areas find teachers who can help them. Apprendo provides the students with suitable teachers and provides the teachers with clients and a booking system. Its system is free of charge and has a presence throughout the country. This also breaks the territorial divide in a country that is both large and urban.
The platform also has a gender perspective. "As a woman, you feel insecure about going to the home of someone you don't know to receive or give private classes. To avoid this, we create safe study spaces where teachers and students meet in libraries, cafeterias and coworking spaces," says Silva.
The technology behind Apprendo allows it to become a regional platform, rather than being limited to Argentina. It currently has more than 2,000 users. Silva sums up Apprendo's objectives: "We want people to be able to develop the way they want and education is the key. Technology can contribute to education and we do this with Apprendo."
The CEO of Viktoys (Peru), co-founder of Fab Lab Peru and member of the Innovators under 35 Latin America 2020 jury, Víctor Freundt, considers Apprendo's impact to be "high because it focuses on education, connecting tutors with students, focusing mainly on non-formal education." The expert highlights that the teacher-student connection "provides opportunities for teachers, allows training and promotes the use of ICT for education and the reinforcement of digital competencies."
