EduFocal, a social learning platform for GSAT and CSEC students was incorporated on November 19, 2010. The company was launched on March 15, 2012, a little over 10 months ago at the Jamaica Pegasus.

Today we’re here for another launch, the launch of a partnership between EduFocal Limited and the Jamaica Observer Limited. EduFocal, the first service of its kind in the caribbean to incorporate gaming elements in education has seen a very positive response from the media, students, teachers and other stakeholders. The Observer, with its forward thinking Leader, The Hon. Danville Walker didn’t hesitate to get this partnership off the ground.
Our partnership with the Jamaica Observer will see students being able to access EduFocal for free with the purchase of  a Sunday Observer. The partnership will also see EduFocal expanding its content base to offer not only questions and answers for subjects, but reading content material from the Observer’s popular Study Centre publication. This, with the unique offerings of EduFocal will be beneficial to many students.
I’ve always said that EduFocal was created from a student’s perspective, i.e how a student would want a service to practice for their exams and not how a teacher wants his/her students to practice for their exams.

At 22, I figure that I’m still young enough to understand the needs of a High School student and I dare say, the needs of a GSAT student. Times have changed and children have so many things that are competing for their attention, including video games. Using elements from video games (particularly the concept of leveling up and a leaderboard) and incorporating it into learning has proven to be an effective method of piquing a child’s  interest in learning.

On December 30, 2012 EduFocal and the Observer did a demo campaign. On January 13, 2013 another campaign was initiated. In that short space of time….hundreds of students at both the GSAT and CSEC level have registered to EduFocal and have done over 5,000 tests with a 5-10% test abandonment rate.

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