EduSpaze, Singapore’s first and leading EdTech accelerator, today in partnership with Temasek Foundation launched the inaugural “Temasek Foundation Education Challenge: Empowering Teachers through EdTech”. The challenge seeks to discover and support innovative solutions that evolve the roles of educators, enhance the effectiveness of teaching, and introduce new models to reach underserved communities.
Ten innovative EdTech solutions start-ups will be shortlisted as finalists who will compete at the finals event, to be held on 6 November 2024 during EduTech Asia, Asia’s largest conference and exhibition for educators and EdTech providers. The top three winners will be awarded grants totalling up to S$90,000; with the top winner earning a trip to London, UK to participate in an industry boot camp and attend Bett London, the world’s biggest EdTech exhibition, in January 2025.
All finalists will be provided access to up to S$500,000 in cloud credits provided by the Challenge’s Tech for Good partner, Amazon Web Services, to foster the growth of start-ups focused on addressing key challenges faced by educators.
Alex Ng, Managing Director of EduSpaze, said,
At EduSpaze, we believe in the power of technology to transform education. This partnership with Temasek Foundation represents a significant step forward in our mission to empower and foster innovation in the Edtech sector. We are eager to see the innovative solutions that will emerge from this challenge and the impact they will have on education in Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia.
Empowering teachers, transforming education
The Temasek Foundation Education Challenge relies on the expertise of EduSpaze which has been at the forefront of EdTech and innovation since 2019, helping build the ecosystem in Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia. The Challenge focuses on supporting education systems and educators, and catalysing solutions in the following three critical areas:
1. Evolving the role of educators: Solutions should facilitate the redesign of roles of teachers, reduce administrative burdens, and promote teacher retention through tools like Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality/Mixed Reality (AR/VR/MR) and peer-to-peer learning platforms.
2. Improving the effectiveness of teaching: Solutions should support the professional development of teachers, adapt teaching methods to diverse learners, and align skill sets with market demands.
3. Reaching the underserved: Innovative models should offer affordable, tailored educational services or products to new market segments, including rural areas.
Tan Shin Gee, Senior Director of Temasek Foundation commented:
Education is a key pillar of Temasek Foundation’s commitment to uplift communities. We support innovation and EdTech solutions that will help teachers to teach better and students to improve their learning ability. We hope to catalyse innovative solutions that will foster a more adaptable and future-ready learning environment, through improving instructional quality, innovative learning models and continuous professional growth. We look forward to the transformative ideas that will come from this Challenge.
Ashley Tan, International Head of Social Impact & Sustainability at Amazon Web Services (AWS), said,
At AWS, we believe education and opportunity should be available to all. Harnessing the power of cloud and AI, we’re both lowering barriers to education and increasing access to technology to help mission-driven organisations build innovative education solutions. Together with Temasek Foundation, we support learners from underserved communities to thrive in a digital world, enable Edtechs to dream big and scale faster, and build the capacity of the global education ecosystem to deliver more equitable learning opportunities.
Calling for nominations
The Challenge is open to all innovators whose solutions are ready to be piloted and can support the delivery of accessible, effective, and future-relevant education for learners aged 10-25 in Southeast Asia.
Nominations are now open, and will close on 30 September 2024. All interested eligible start-ups can apply to be part of this exciting opportunity to shape the future of education.
For more information and to submit your nomination, visit https://www.eduspaze.com/temasek-foundation-education-challenge/
