YaSchools Review: Transforming Education in Saudi Arabia

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In recent times, technological advancements have had a huge impact on the daily lives of people. It has transformed how people acquire education and how knowledge is regulated among the masses. Among such technological advancements is YaSchools, an Edtech Startup in KSA, which has been designed to help parents, teachers, and the school administration of Saudi Arabia stay up to date and gain the necessary information required for the education of children.

Let’s unwind on how this startup is setting the standard for providing education to the people in Saudi Arabia:

What is YaSchools Edtech Startup Seed Funding

YaSchools is an AI- and big-data-powered platform for educational management that provides insights about classrooms, lecturers, students, and extracurricular activities.

تتمحور مهمتنا فى ياسكولز حول تعزيز التجربة التعليمية وتقليل الأعباء المالية على الآباء خلال رحلتهم لتعليم أبنائهم. نحقق ذلك من خلال مجموعة شاملة من الحلول المبتكرة المصممة خصيصًا
للخدمات التعليمية.#YaSchools#edutech #fintech https://t.co/JdX5KFCLsp

— ياسكولز | YaSchools (@YaSchools) August 8, 2023

How much has the Edtech has progressed

The company has only been around for two years, but it has already gathered over 100,000 paying users on its platform, with more than 5 million visitors in the preceding twelve months. By the end of 2023, YaSchools hopes to have signed up over 200 schools in Jordan and attracted more than 5,000 parents.

Where does it operate from

Amman is home to Yaschools’ regional headquarters. They are now based there but will shortly establish a branch in Jordan.

Who benefits from YaSchools

The YaSchools community includes educators, parents, and schools. Big data, artificial intelligence methods, and financial technology are used to compile and trade information about schools, teachers, students, services, and educational activities in a way that is both simple and quick to use, all to improve the quality of education.

How does it support schools

Private and international schools are able to register themselves with the organization and represent themselves in the best way possible. The advertisements make it easy for teachers to look through the options and decide the best possible institute for their students.

It also helps them devise a payment plan to help them divide the fee over a period of time to make it easier for the parents to pay for their child’s education. More than 1700 schools have been registered with YaSchools already.

How does it accommodate parents

The platform makes it easy for parents to search for the best possible institute for their child. It eliminates the tedious task of doing long searches for accurate information regarding schools. It also lets them communicate with the administration of the school. The parents are able to compare the schools and then reserve their options.

The platform helps parents divide the payment over some time to make it easier for them to pay for their child’s education. It also allows the parents to stay in touch with the teachers and know more about who is responsible for their child’s education, their qualifications, etc.

How does this platform help teachers

This platform offers teachers a wide range of services. The teachers get to show their achievements and qualifications, which helps them secure better jobs. They are able to communicate with the parents of their students.

What school guide does this platform offer for Saudi students

The school guide provides a directory of more than 1700 schools from all the cities of Saudi Arabia. The directory shows the various activities that take place in those schools and the building and structure of the schools. This makes it significantly easier for parents to have a look at the schools.

Can parents communicate with the school

The platform allows the parents to communicate with the school administration directly. It helps them gain all the necessary knowledge and get answers to all their queries by directly talking to the school administration.

The schools from which cities of Saudi Arabia have been added to the platform

Various schools from the following cities of Saudi Arabia have been added to the platform:

• Al Jobail
• Al Khobar
• Al Kharj
• Ad Damman
• Riyadh
• Medina
• Jeddah
• Al Dhahran
• Buraydah
• Sakaka
• Yanbu
• Tabuk
• Jizan
• Hafar al-Batin
• At Taef
• Ha’il
• Rabegh
• Saihat
• Ras Tanura
• Al dawadmi
• Al qatif
• Al jaw
• Wadi al-Dawasir
• Aseer
• Khaybar
• Najran

Which curriculums are offered on this platform for the Saudi Arabi students

Following is the list of all the curriculums offered on the YaSchools platform:

• Ahli
• American
• British
• Australian
• French
• SABIS
• American Diploma
• International Baccalaureate
• Indian
• Pakistani
• Filipino
• Sudanese path
• Egyptian Path

Which education levels are covered on this platform

Following are all the education levels which are covered on this platform:

• Kg 1-2-3
• Grade 1-2-3
• Grade 4-5-6
• Grade 7-8-9
• Grade 10-11-12

Does the platform have a filter to choose segregated schools?

The platform has the filter to divide the schools into either girl-only or boys-only. This makes it easy for parents to decide if they want to enrol their child in coeducation or on a girls or boys school only.

What is the fee range of the schools on the YaSchools platform

Various schools with varying fee structures have been added to the platform. The school fees vary anywhere from 5000 SAR to 50,000 SAR. 

Which types of schools have been added to the platform:

Various school types have been added to the platform to cater to the diverse educational needs of the students. The school types include:

• International
• National
• Special needs
• Typical
• Internationalism
• Nursery-Kindergarten

Are there packages available for the schools to register with

The school administrator can access school information with one of two packages. The basic package gives the school the ability to access and modify school information, communicate with parents, share tuition fees, respond to inquiries, and share news, notifications, and events.

On the other hand, the premium package enables the school administrator to fully manage admission and registration, including managing personal interviews for new students, managing payments, discounts, and corporate employee relations, as well as managing external marketers.

How much time does it take for a school to be able to activate the fee installment for the parents of their students

Once the required documents are attached (commercial registry, bank account number, etc.), the account will be activated with the electronic payment service providers and financing partners within two business days at most.

What teacher’s guide is provided on the YaSchools platform

YaSchools platform provides an extensive guide regarding the teachers who register with the platform. It allows the teachers to represent themselves to the best of their abilities on the platform.  This makes it easier for the parents to find the right teacher for their child. It also makes it easier for the teachers to connect with the parents of their students.

The teacher profile at Yaschools

The guide provides a basic review of the teacher with their picture, the place they are working in, the subjects that the teachers teach, and their number of followers. Displaying the picture makes it easier to know who the teacher is and decreases the chances of catfishing.

Teacher’s experience at YaSchools

The teacher’s profile shows all the experience the teacher has in teaching at various institutes. The knowledge of teacher’s previous experience helps them secure better jobs and makes it easier for schools to approach them for better positions. It also adds to their chances of getting recruited by parents for teaching their children.

Teacher’s achievements

The profile displays the education the teacher has acquired along with different certifications they have achieved throughout their career to date. Certifications are always a cherry on top when it comes to applying for jobs and getting recruited for better positions.

The achievements make the profile more attractive for school management and teachers alike. They leave a long-lasting and better impression on the people viewing their profile and increase the recruiter’s interest in the teacher’s profile.

The profile also shows an extensive list of all the classes and all the courses the teacher teaches, along with the fees the teacher charges for teaching those classes. Next to it is the option to book the class or the course with the teacher. This simplifies the process of getting tutors for the child who meets the parents’ requirements.

Choose the location

There is an option to choose where the teacher would be providing the service to their students. The parents can decide if they want the education sessions to take place at the teacher’s place, online, or the student’s place.

City and curriculum at Yaschools

The platform provides an option to the users to decide which city their teacher should be from and in. It also has a filter to choose teachers of a specific curriculum or a subject, which makes the searching and recruitment process really easy for the parents and schools as well.

Is there an academic calendar for schools on YASchools platform

The platform offers a predesigned school year calendar and displays it on the website. The calendar includes all the important dates like when the school year starts when the holidays will be, etc.. this makes it easier for the schools to keep the parents in touch with the school year calendar and makes it easier for the parents to know in advance what the school year of their child would look like.

The dates are in accordance with when the school year starts and ends in Saudi Arabia. It also shows all the national and international holidays that are celebrated in Saudi Arabia. The calendar shows all the holidays, like long weekends, summer vacations, mid-semester vacations, etc.

Can one transfer the school from Saudi Arabia to some school in some other country

Changing schools in a different nation is not a difficulty at all. It still requires some steps, such as submitting credentials issued from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education for authentication before they may be used at the foreign institution. New students should be aware that interviews are sometimes mandatory at some schools.

Is there a difference between the American and British systems of education offered by YaSchools for Saudi students

Early on in their education, students in the United States are exposed to teaching approaches that emphasise critical thinking and creative problem-solving rather than rote memorization. Flexibility in presenting themes, cultural diversity, and encouragement of invention and creativity are hallmarks of the American curriculum as a whole. In contrast to the American system, which offers 12 years of schooling, the British system consists of 11 years of education and places a premium on narrowly-focused knowledge.

What are the documents required to register a first-year primary school student on YaSchools

The following are the documents required:

• Birth certificate for the child
• Vaccination card
• Family card for Saudis
• Residency of the student and guardian for non-Saudis (renewed)

What are the fee financing options available at the YaSchools platform

Payment plans for tuition are available through Tasheel Finance Company, ranging in size from 4,000 to 60,000 riyals.

Is there a fine if the instalment is paid late

In the case of Murabaha Finance, the late payment fee is SAR 49 per month.

Is the YaSchools platform available on the website only

YaSchools apps are available for download on both the app store and Android as well.

App store:

Playstore:

Does the platform offer information about universities

The YaSchool platform allows parents to foresee their child’s future by providing them with university options for postgraduate education of their students in Russia and Turkey. So far, the universities in these two countries are supported by the YaSchools platform.

Specialty and program

The platform allows users to choose the specialty they want to apply to and the program they want to opt for. The programs included in this platform include undergraduate, postgraduate, master’s and PhD programs.

Country

So far, universities from only Russia and Turkey are supported by this platform.

How to apply

In order to apply for a university, all the user has to do is to register on the yaSchools platform by providing their details along with the course, the program, and the university they want to opt for. The platform connects the candidate with the university they want to get admission to.

Conclusion

With the digitalization of information, acquiring necessary data has never been easier. YaSchools adds to this service for Saudi Arabian people by providing them with information about schools, teachers, and even universities. With flexible payment options and expansion of service to Jordan, YaSchool acts as a benchmark and sets a standard for providing quality education to students in Saudi Arabia.