Snapask, SPH offer students free online tutoring and news content

EDUCATION technology startup Snapask has joined hands with media and property group Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) to provide primary and second school students with resources free of charge, to support their home-based learning.

This comes ahead of the month-long nationwide "circuit breaker" that will require all schools to move to home-based learning from April 8 to May 4, which is set to affect more than half a million students.

Singapore-based students can sign up for the new service, which comprises online tutoring by Snapask and 14 days of online access to SPH's flagship publication The Straits Times.

In total, more than 10,000 free subscriptions to this service will be made available in two phases, for students of all levels in primary schools and secondary schools.

For the first phase, limited to 1,000 free subscriptions, students can sign up on Snapask's website from April 8 to April 15 on a first-come-first-served basis.

This initial bundle features 30 one-on-one tutoring sessions - adding up to about 10 to 15 hours - through the Snapask app. It also includes online learning content, and access to The Straits Times' digital and curated articles.

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The remaining 9,000 free subscriptions will be open for registration under the second phase, with dates to be announced later.

On Snapask's mobile app, users take photos of homework questions they want help with, and they will be matched with suitable tutors who will guide them in one-on-one online sessions. Snapask tutors consist of students from universities such as Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

The edtech startup also offers a library of educational content ranging from studying tips and exam preparation, to advanced courses in professional certifications.

In addition, Snapask will work with a team from The Straits Times to curate articles and co-create news content to help students meet their educational goals. The Straits Times team includes a teaching expert, editors and journalists who have won global awards for student publications that use the news in education.

Snapask and SPH, which also publishes The Business Times, said in the joint statement that the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused a "paradigm shift" in the education sector and made it necessary for students, parents and educators to adopt new solutions.

Both companies added that they see an increased demand for digital, personalised and on-demand educational solutions, which they want to cater to.

Snapask chief executive and founder Timothy Yu noted that technology will play a key role in defeating the Covid-19 pandemic, "not just in medical treatment, but also to minimise disruptions to our daily lives and to introduce a new standard for how education can be provided online effectively".

Lydia Lim, head of SPH Schools, said: "With health authorities advising social distancing and closures of schools and tutoring facilities, it's crucial for us to do our part to provide convenient ways to learn."