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Free Education-Related Apps

Gayathri | Monday, September 26, 2016 11:00 AM IST

Finding solutions for education-related issues has become a passion for Kang Sovannarote, 20, a co-founder of small information technology startup mlab. Mr. Sovannarote, who is pursuing a degree in information management systems at Zaman University, said using technology to tackle social issues is not a common practice in Cambodia, but he believes there are many aspects of society that technology can help to improve. 

“I noticed that there are not so many people working on apps related to education. That’s why I and my team want to produce more apps to help society,” he said. The Humble IT student said he was always fascinated by technology since he was young. He said that everyone now is living in a world where technology is a big part of the lifestyle. Despite that sees that Cambodian technology is not well developed yet and it should be an obligation of him as a young person to help the community.

 The use of technology to improve education is still rare in Cambodia, and Mlab sees itself as filling a gap in this field. All the education apps developed by Mlab can be downloaded for free. Mr. Sovannrote said the main reason for the lack of educational apps is that developers don’t feel they can make money from it. However, he believes that seeking funding from non-governmental organizations is one way to solve this problem and ensure that more apps will be developed for the benefit of society. 

It is Mlab’s vision to use technology to solve any problem facing Cambodian society. Education is the priority for Mlab when it comes to the not-for-profit development of software. “Find My Major” was the first application released by Mlab, produced two months after the firm’s establishment. The application aims to help students determine which major and college they should choose by answering a series of questions. 

The app was inspired by Mr. Sovannarote’s own experience of choosing the wrong major at university. He chose computer science, but only later realized that there was another major that would allow him to combine two of his favorite skills – information management systems. “I remember I also chose the wrong major. That’s why I developed the ‘Find My Major’ app,” he said. 

The second application from Mlab is “Financial Dictionary,” published in early September. There are many problems he sees in his daily life, however, he said not every problem is worth solving.'There are also some problems that are not worth solving for. So I just try to do what I can. I don’t focus on a target user when producing an app; I focus on the problem that needs solving,” he said. 

It takes less than a week for Mlab to develop an application. Mr. Sovanrote said the team researches an issue on the Internet and incorporates it into the tools included in the app to solve the problem. “We don’t come up with the information; we quote accurate information from the experts to share in an app. This ensures that it is useful,” he said. Mlab was established in June by Mr. Sovannarote and two co-founders. It specializes in developing applications for inventory management systems, website development and business consultancy. 

The company plans to develop more education-related apps. In November, Mlab will develop a new app that helps users learn about information technology online.