Education
uLesson Obtains $7.5m to Reach East, South African Markets
By Adedapo Adesanya
African learning technology platform, uLesson has secured a $7.5 million Series A round led by Owl Ventures, with inclusion from existing investors, TLcom Capital and Founder Collective, and participation from new investor LocalGlobe.
This will allow the education startup’s push to deliver affordable, high-quality, and accessible education across Africa using technology.
The move will also see Mr Tory Patterson, Managing Director of Owl Ventures, joining the uLesson board.
It was announced that the funding will be deployed to power uLesson’s expansion into Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as secure new talent, and build its product development and production infrastructure.
Alongside uLesson’s expansion into Eastern and Southern Africa, the startup is set to launch a host of new products including a new pan-African primary school library, 1:1 tutoring sessions, and Challenge – its new app feature that allows learners to challenge friends to a quiz. The platform has also set its sights on launching an iOS app in the near future.
Speaking on the funding, uLesson founder and CEO, Mr Sim Shagaya, noted that, “Africa is not one place. Different needs, cultures, and curricula mean that uLesson has to carefully and deliberately think about how to design products and distribution channels to serve such a vast market.
“Almost daily we receive emails from families across the continent asking us to make services available to them. And in 2021, we will.
“The appreciation of the importance of education has always been there; the means of delivering digital, relevant education has previously been lacking. We are now witnessing an increased availability of data networks in Africa and with more affordable smartphones and the change in attitudes towards online learning accelerated by COVID-19, the foundations are now in place for an education revolution.
“At uLesson, we know we have a critical role to play in this ‘new normal’ and this funding will be crucial in our drive to fill the major gaps in Africa’s education system through tech.”
Adding to this, Mr Tory Patterson, Managing Director of Owl Ventures, the world’s largest education-focused VC firm and an investor in leading edtech players such as Byjus, MasterClass, Whitehat Jr, and Quizlet, said “Owl Ventures is honoured to be partnering with uLesson for their Series A.
“The company has quickly grown into the premier platform supporting students in Africa and we are excited to support their global expansion, as they seek to empower students around the world.”
On his part, Mr David Frankel, Managing Partner at Founder Collective and an investor in PillPack, Olo, and Coupang noted, “As an investor, it’s rare to find a massive, under-served market being addressed by an entrepreneur whose skills are tailor-made for the opportunity.
“Sim Shagaya is assembling a world-class team to help realize his vision of a modernized education system for one of the highest potential places in the world today, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
Mr Ido Sum, Partner at TLcom Capital stated that, “Since we partnered with Sim in 2019, uLesson has shown exceptional growth and fully validated our belief in its huge potential.
“We welcome Owl Ventures and LocalGlobe, as combining their domain expertise from other markets with our local presence and expertise, we can together further support the company to become a world-class EdTech platform.”
Ms Suzanne Ashman, Partner at LocalGlobe, also stated, “We are thrilled to add uLesson to our emerging portfolio of Africa-based companies.
“We, like many investors and entrepreneurs, are excited by Africa’s future and the potential for a wave of category-defining tech companies to emerge in the region. We were hugely impressed by the foundational DNA of uLesson’s team in Nigeria.
The team has purpose-built the product to make the learning experience significantly more engaging and effective than a large classroom experience. We are delighted to be part of uLesson’s journey.”
This is, however, not uLesson’s first raise as it made an initial $3.1 million seed round in November 2019, led by TLcom Capital with participation from the company’s Founder and CEO.
Founded by serial entrepreneur, Mr Sim Shagaya, uLesson curates personalised, curriculum-relevant content via mobile and PC devices for students in the K-7 to K-12 segment across the continent.
Students can access the lessons via streaming and SD cards, where they can download and store the content, allowing them to study remotely, removing challenges around internet access limitations and costs.
uLesson’s content is originally tailored for Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Gambia within the K-12 segment and now includes the IGCSE curriculum which is relevant for the other markets.
The team has to-date produced over 5,000 richly animated video lessons, 30,000 quizzes, and tests across senior and junior classes on its Android app that supports each country’s curriculum.
Education
8 Best Editing and Proofreading Services in 2026 for Academic Researchers
The top editing services for academic researchers in 2026 include Editage, Wiley Editing Services, Taylor & Francis Editing Services, Sage Author Services, and Scribbr. In this article, we’ll look at the key features of each of these, and some others, to help you choose the best proofreading service for your own research paper. We’ll also share the 4 key aspects you must consider when choosing a proofreading service.
Top 8 Editing & Proofreading Services for Academic Researchers
1. Editage
With over 23 years of experience in academic publishing, Editage has edited over 2 million research papers and is trusted by 40+ publishers, 500+ universities, and 1000+ research societies. Editage employs over 3,000 subject matter experts as editors. It offers comprehensive publication support, including services such as journal selection, statistical review, and figure preparation. Most service packages include free journal formatting. Editage also provides a specialized service designed to help prevent the desk rejection of your paper.
2. Wiley Editing Services
Wiley Editing Services has edited over 25,000 manuscripts in the past 3 years, with an acceptance rate of 62% (the acceptance rate of Wiley journals in general is around 28%). Wiley Editing Services offers authors slab-based pricing with clear turnaround times. Another feature of their editing service is free word count reduction by 10-20% depending on service package. It has a specialized academic translation team and offers authors design support in creating graphical abstracts and infographics.
3. Taylor & Francis Editing Services
Designed to support Taylor & Francis authors, Taylor & Francis Editing Services has a no-questions-asked quality guarantee and commits to re-working your manuscript until you are satisfied. Clients can choose from three levels of English language editing, and the company also offers you a free language scorer tool to help you choose the right level of editing for your manuscript. After your paper is accepted for publication, you can also avail of services to help you create lay summaries, video abstracts, etc. to promote it. Taylor & Francis also offers a range of live webinars for researchers to acquire new skills.
4. Sage Author Services
Realizing that 76% of authors find writing a paper for publication most difficult of all the research stages, Sage Author Services offers clients a range of editing services with easy tools to compare them and select the one suited for your paper. There is also a combination translation + editing service geared towards ESL authors, and a plagiarism check support service. You can get unlimited Q&A with your editor after your paper is edited. Their website also has an easy-to-use calculator for you to choose pricing and delivery speed.
5. Cambridge University Press Author Services
Cambridge University Press, a part of Cambridge University, has a long-standing commitment to advancing research and human knowledge. Their author services offers 24/7 support and a certificate guaranteeing the quality of English in the edited manuscript. Besides offering three levels of editing service, Cambridge University Press also has translation support available for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. There is a separate manuscript formatting service and a specialized “video shorts” service to make your published paper easy to share on social media.
6. Scribbr
Scribbr, a trusted brand in edtech, has a network of over 700 editors and writing coaches for students. All editors have passed through an in-house training program called Scribbr Academy. Scribbr offers clients access to free AI-powered tools and an extensive Knowledge Base for university students (especially undergraduates). Scribber also has a rapid turnaround time of just 5 minutes for AI-powered proofreading. The company offers specialized proofreading services for capstone projects and essays.
7. Scribendi
Established in 1997, Scribendi has processed over 800,000 manuscripts and has a team of over 400 native English-speaking freelance editors. The company is highly rated on Google Reviews and offers specialized services for ESL students, including dissertation proofreading with a 10% student discount. Another specialty of Scribbr is field-aware editing for humanities and social sciences researchers.
8. PaperTrue
PaperTrue works with students, authors, and businesses around the world to create error-free documents. New customers get a free 300-word sample. The company follows a rigorous 3-step checking process for every assignment. PaperTrue is rated 4.6 on Reviews.io and offers specialized editing services for college assignments, admissions essays, and personal statements. The company also has a large bouquet of solutions for book authors: typesetting, cover page design, etc.
How to Choose a Proofreading Service for Your Research Paper
Here are 4 things that you need to consider when you are choosing a proofreading service:
Quality:
Everyone will claim to be the best. How can you tell which proofreading services are really good? Look for services that have many subject matter experts, those backed by scholarly publishers, and those that transparently disclose whether their services are powered by AI or not.
Turnaround time:
A rapid-fire editing service isn’t always better. You need to budget time even after your paper is edited to check the editor’s changes and respond to any queries. Look for a service provider with a reasonable turnaround time, and one that is flexible with turnaround time if you have budget constraints.
Price:
Instead of thinking that cheap equals good, look for proofreading services that have transparent pricing that is easy to follow. Check what is included in your service package, especially re-editing support and manuscript formatting.
Additional support:
Look for a provider who can assist you at every stage of your publication journey and even with post-publication promotion. Such providers will care more deeply about your article and your publication success. Also, such providers will likely have editors who are experienced in academic research and who understand the challenges authors face during the publication process.
Education
Again, NELFUND Extends Deadline for 2025/26 Session Loan Applications
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has granted another extension for its Student Loan Application Portal to accommodate institutions that requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session.
According to the statement signed by NELFUND’s Director of Strategic Communications, Ms Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, on Thursday, the extension applies only to institutions that submitted formal requests, allowing eligible students extra time to complete their applications.
“The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has approved an extension of its Student Loan Application Portal for institutions that have formally requested additional time for the 2025/2026 academic session,” the statement read.
Business Post reports that at the beginning of March, NELFUND announced an extension to the deadline by a week for its student loan application portal following a notable rise in nationwide interest driven by ongoing awareness campaigns.
Speaking on the development, NELFUND Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, reiterated the Fund’s commitment to ensuring that eligible students at participating institutions can access the student loan programme.
“NELFUND remains committed to ensuring that eligible students across participating institutions have the opportunity to access the student loan programme,” he said.
The Fund urges students in affected institutions to take advantage of the extension and submit their applications through the official portal.
It also emphasised its dedication to transparency, accountability, and providing sustainable financing solutions to remove financial barriers to higher education in Nigeria.
Established to administer the Nigeria Student Loan Scheme, NELFUND was enacted into law by President Bola Tinubu in April 2024.
The initiative provides interest-free loans to students in public tertiary institutions to cover tuition and living expenses.
Beneficiaries are required to repay the loans after completing their education and securing employment, aiming to increase access to higher education for students from low-income backgrounds.
Education
NRS to Boost Tax Education in Nigerian Institutions
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has inaugurated a Curriculum Review Committee aimed at strengthening taxation education in Nigerian academic institutions and improving the country’s tax administration system.
According to a statement, the committee was inaugurated on February 24, at the NRS Academy in Durumi as part of the agency’s broader efforts to modernise tax education and align academic training with the evolving demands of contemporary tax administration.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Director of the NRS Academy, Mr Adeolu Akinyemi, said the review exercise would involve collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) to develop a more structured and relevant curriculum for the academy.
He emphasised that the initiative seeks to ensure that taxation programmes taught in Nigerian institutions reflect current developments in tax policy and practice, while also equipping students with the practical knowledge required in today’s tax administration environment.
The committee has been tasked with examining existing taxation curricula across Nigerian institutions and proposing updates that incorporate modern tax policies, recent legislative changes, and emerging areas such as digital taxation and global tax practices.
Officials say the review is also designed to close the gap between theoretical classroom instruction and the practical realities of tax administration.
By strengthening the link between academic learning and professional practice, the revised curriculum is expected to better prepare graduates for careers in the tax sector.
The effort is further expected to enhance tax awareness among citizens, encourage voluntary tax compliance, and support the development of skilled tax professionals who can contribute to national revenue generation and economic growth.
The committee is chaired by Mrs Aisha Hamman Mahmoud, Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman of the NRS on Research and Statistics. Its membership includes representatives from the service as well as academic experts in taxation and fiscal policy, alongside professionals with experience in tax administration, policy formulation, and tax education.
The committee will work with relevant educational regulatory agencies and professional bodies to ensure that the proposed curriculum aligns with national academic standards while addressing the practical needs of Nigeria’s tax system.
The NRS stated that the initiative forms part of its ongoing commitment to expanding tax knowledge, strengthening professional capacity, and promoting responsible tax practices across the country.
The curriculum review exercise is expected to be completed within 60 days, after which the Service plans to provide further updates on the implementation of the revised programme.
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