AI-powered app to enhance STEAM learning for over 20,000 students using local languages

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Organization

The Sapphires Development Initiative

Location

Nigeria

Project size

Large

Budget

Pro Bono

Requested services

Mobile App

Overview

Unlock the potential of underserved learners with STEAMspark, where culturally relevant, AI-driven education makes science and technology accessible and engaging for every child.

The problem
What's already in place
Project scope
Users and functionalities
Success vision
Supporting resources

The problem

Problem statement

Across many communities in Nigeria, young learners face a triple disadvantage: overcrowded classrooms, limited access to personalized learning, and irrelevant, text-heavy content that disconnects them from real-world applications of science and technology. In schools where one teacher is responsible for 80–100 students, learners fall behind. Subjects like science and mathematics are taught in rigid formats, without cultural context, language inclusion, or creativity.

Project details

STEAMspark is a multilingual, AI-powered, and offline-first learning platform designed to transform how underserved students across Nigeria access and engage with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. The solution directly addresses challenges faced by learners aged 9-16 in low-income communities, where digital exclusion, poor infrastructure, language barriers, and lack of personalized support significantly hinder learning outcomes.

What's already in place

We are currently building the STEAMspark app on FlutterFlow, with core features under development. We also have a draft content strategy for AI-powered STEAM learning in local languages

Team

• Decision Maker – Provides overall leadership, strategic direction, and final decision-making authority. Coordinates partnerships, oversees execution, and ensures the project aligns with TSDI’s mission and goals. • Senior Tech Lead – Guides the customization of AI models, especially around multilingual support and adaptive learning logic. • Tech Lead – Collaborates on interface design tailored to student needs and admin dashboards. • EdTech Manager – Oversees digital learning strategy, platform usability, and alignment of educational technology tools with learner needs. • Project Manager – Coordinates implementation timelines, team collaboration, operational execution, and stakeholder communication. • Education Advocacy & Curriculum Development Lead – Supports curriculum design, learning content alignment, education advocacy efforts, and contextual adaptation for underserved learners. • Monitoring and Evaluation Lead – Tracks usage data, learning outcomes, and impact metrics for reporting and adaptive strategy. • Volunteer Facilitators – Provide end-user feedback, conduct training, and support student onboarding in pilot communities.

Project scope

Optimize and finalize app built in FlutterFlow
Set up and secure backend infrastructure (Firebase)
Implement offline-first features for low-bandwidth areas
Fine-tune AI models for multilingual STEAM learning
Integrate AI chatbot for personalized feedback
Curate and structure relevant open-source learning datasets
Design a simple analytics dashboard for tracking student progress
Refine UI/UX for accessibility and age-appropriate engagement
Localize app content in Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa
Support mobile testing and app store deployment

Users and functionalities

Primary User Group: Students (Ages 9–16 in underserved schools)
Projected Reach (Pilot phase): 500–1,000 students in Oyo and Ogun States
Functionality Needs:
- Gamified learning modules in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM)
- Localized content with support for Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo
- AI-personalized learning: The app adapts based on student engagement, pace, and challenge level
- Interactive features: quizzes, emoji feedback, badges, and progress tracking
- Offline-first experience: lightweight delivery for low-bandwidth or no-internet zones
- Storytelling integration: including African proverbs, SDG stories, and relatable challenges
- Inclusive design: culturally relevant UX that reflects local realities and reduces cognitive overload
Secondary User Group: STEAMspark Admins and TSDI Developers
Team Size: 8–10 (developers, designers, AI trainers, and data handlers)
Functionality Needs:
- Admin portal to update content modules, manage datasets, and oversee AI outputs
- Firebase-based analytics to monitor app usage, quiz performance, and student engagement
- Hugging Face and Google Colab integration for fine-tuning AI features (LLaMA 3)
- Secure data storage, translation datasets, and ethical data monitoring tools
Other Stakeholders (View-only Access): Ministries of Education, funders, and education partners may access aggregated usage reports and impact dashboards, but are not core users of the app.

Success vision

External impact:

Internal impact:

Meet the Changemaker

The Sapphires Development Initiative

LocationNigeria

Impact area

The Sapphires Development Initiative seeks to create a fundamental evolution where at least 50,000 young Nigerians are groomed to attain excellence through their harnessed potential. We believe in a world where vulnerable youths and adolescents become transformational leaders and drivers of positive change.v

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