Verified · Jul 20251 min read
projectActive · national · 2017

M-Shule (adaptive learning via SMS)

Kenyan platform founded in Nairobi in 2017 by Claire Mongeau and Julie Otieno that delivers personalized micro-lessons in mathematics, English and skills via SMS and chatbots, using AI-powered adaptive learning.

Overhead view of pencils, rulers and a blank notebook on a wooden deskillustrative atlas image · Katerina Holmes / Pexels

01 The context

Designed for households without a smartphone: a basic phone is enough. It has reached ~20,000-23,000 students/households in ~30 counties; studies report learning gains that are equitable across gender and location. M-Shule means mobile school in Kiswahili.

02 How it works

03 What it stands on

Evidence level
Own experience
Grounded in published theory
Documented evidence elsewhere
Independently evaluated here
Peer-reviewed research documents this project: the strongest evidence level in the atlas.
The evidence 2
EvidenceSupporting equitable access to learning via SMS in Kenya: Impact on engagement and learning outcomesBritish Journal of Educational Technology 56(4): 1530-1552 (Wiley) · 2025
EvidenceM-Shule SMS Learning & Training, Kenya (LitBase)UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning · 2024

04 Go to the source

Visit the official site mshule.com