The StartDee online education app, a project of former Democrat Party politician Parit "Itim" Wacharasindhu, hopes to become the "Netflix of education" by gathering personalised learning content of interest to the user.
Parit: Personalised learning content
"StartDee aims to be a supplementary learning platform for students that could complement studying at school," Mr Parit said.
With schools being shut until July due to the coronavirus outbreak, StartDee plans to act as a "temporary substitute" to ensure access to learning materials for students stuck at home, he said.
The app will be in service from May 18, earlier than the planned mid-year launch, as schools are close due to the pandemic, he said. The service will be free of charge until the end of June.
StartDee's vision is to use technology to enable students in Grades 1-12 to be able to access high-quality, affordable education, Mr Parit said, adding that the app contains a collection of learning content that is personalised to the needs of users.
State-run schools vary greatly in quality, while the rankings of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment test last year showed that Thailand performed worse than neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Malaysia, he said.
Additional learning opportunities outside the school system are dominated by established tutorial players whose services are too costly for most students.
"We hope our service can help narrow the education gap through easy access service, quality content and affordable prices," Mr Parit said. "Education is the country's future for sustainable growth."
StartDee can serve 7.1 million students who have access to smartphones out of 8.3 million G1-12 students.
The app also partners with mobile operator Advanced Info Service Plc to let users receive SIM cards, known as ZEED SIM, and engage with the app without data charges.
At the initial stage, the app offers content for students in Grades 7-12 with an affordable subscription fee of 200-300 baht per month for a monthly or annual subscription. The cost is 10-15 times cheaper than other education methods.
The platform comes with interactive content and gamification catering to Generation Z students.
Mr Parit said the app aims to secure sponsorships from companies who may want to buy subscriptions to provide to students, especially those from low-income families.
The platform plans to leverage artificial intelligence technology that would suggest content to match individual preference by this year, he said.
After the pandemic subsides, online learning will be the new norm among users, he said.
According to Mr Parit, total global investment in education technology stood at US$9.5 billion in 2019 and is expected to exceed $10 billion for the first time this year.
Southeast Asia would make up 40-50% of the global figure this year, with Thailand accounting for 5-10%, he said.