Q&A The opportunities of EdTech


EdTech start-up Show My Homework has transformed the at-home learning processes of thousands of UK pupils, but c.e.o. and founder Naimish Gohil tells Benedicte Page its biggest success has been enabling teachers to teach


BENEDICTE PAGE Tell us about your start-up, Show My Homework. NAIMISH GOHIL In a nutshell, Show My Homework makes it really easy for classroom teachers to give students homework activi- ties. Students can use it on any device, which means with the massive adoption of smartphones and tablets, we can provide home- work in a format that’s appealing to students. And you don’t have to go to 10 different places to find your work, there’s a single unifying view. Because our customer is the school and because we are part of the school process, parents buy in to Show My Homework. They download the app for free and every day get a schedule of what homework their children have, so they don’t have their kids telling them at 10 p.m. on a Sunday night that they have work to do for the following day. It offers really power- ful insight, not just [for parents] to crack the whip, but also as a collabo- rative process... it doesn’t have to be negative.


BP How did you come to start your business? NG I was assistant headteacher in two schools in London, in charge of technology and homework. I was in charge of introducing a learn-


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ing platform that was so compli- cated, and the last thing a busy teacher wants to do is pick up a training manual. I started coding in the morning and in the evening; five years on, Show My Homework works with one in three secondary schools in the UK. These are real customers, not vanit metrics. We are in one in two schools in London, and I employ 75 people.


BP What is the biggest lesson you have learned across those five years? NG Firstly, make sure you solve a specific problem—a real problem.


make money quickly and then move on to the next thing. They don’t go to trade shows or make an effort to go to schools and offer training and support. When I started the business, you couldn’t get £5 in venture capi- tal. I used my own money, so we have always had a business model whereby we charge for services. You have to value your product and not be afraid to charge. People say there are budget cuts, but there is always money in schools. If you’ve worked in schools you know [that is true], as long as you don’t have falling [student numbers].


You have to value your product and not be afraid to charge. People say there are budget cuts, but there is always money in schools


Secondly, it’s really important that you supply soſtware and a service. Lots of subscription business is done behind a desk, but I’ve trav- elled from Southend to Inverness because making the effort to go out to schools makes a huge difference. Many tech companies can’t afford to do that, but we have a long-term view of the business. I am confident it is not about profit in the short term, we want a long-term relationship with the school. I see a number of people in our space who are in it to


Naimish Gohil pictured above is speaking at the EdTech for Publishers conference, as part of FutureBook on 2nd December in London


BP Will tech transform education? NG We’ve had adaptive learning, personalised learning, all these buzzwords. I think technology definitely has a really important role in education, but a technol- ogy company makes the biggest impact when it is invisible. If you can help teachers do all the periph- eral rubbish, teachers can do the teaching they went into the job to do. It’s like turning the electricit on in the house: you put the lights on, it works; it’s quick, you don’t have to think about it. There are lots of opportunities to make a transfor- mational difference, but it will take another five to 10 years. I believe there is nothing like learning from a teacher face to face, or from fellow students peer to peer. I don’t think technology is going to fix anything. The teachers will add the most value, but we can boost teachers by giving them a [technological] superpower. ×


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Home grown


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