In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered educational institutions across 190 countries, disrupting traditional teaching models and affecting over 1.5 billion students worldwide, a visionary initiative emerged — YAM Education Inc.
YAM Education was born in 2021 out of a critical need to address the educational disparity exacerbated by the pandemic. With 82% of teachers lacking internet access and over 56 million learners residing beyond mobile network coverage, YAM’s inception aimed
to bridge this gap.
“Our sole mission is to make knowledge accessible and practical, enlightening and empowering learners to create positive impacts wherever they are,” expresses Ousmane Kabré, a Madison College graduate and founder and CEO of the two-year-old company.
According to Kabré, it’s a revolution in learning, utilizing the latest technology and proven educational methodologies to offer an interactive learning experience. With a data-driven approach, YAM tries to break the constraints of traditional education by offering flexibility, accessibility, and an engaging platform that accommodates each learner’s pace and schedule.
The platform was designed with offline capabilities, enabling collaboration between students and teachers in remote areas, primarily targeting West Africa, including Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya. Kabré himself was hails from Burkina Faso and YAM translates to “intelligence” in his native language.
YAM’s Pathways Program offers students the opportunity to pursue an associate degree with Madison College, fostering partnerships that expand educational horizons. The company’s collaboration with Madison College also signifies a significant leap toward global education equity. The licensing agreement facilitates the introduction of entrepreneurship and small business courses to Africa. For Kabré, this partnership is the realization of a long-held vision to extend high-quality business education to African students.
Upon completing courses, YAM students earn digital badges, enabling immediate application of their acquired skills within their businesses and communities. Moreover, the collaboration opens doors for students to further their education at Madison College, receiving credit for their YAM platform courses. Within the licensing agreement, an emphasis on credit for prior learning (CPL) is also a nod to recognition of past work experiences and learning.
Many of the foreign students who study YAM’s Academic English course will eventually enroll in a community college or university in the United States. The company’s Guaranteed Transfer Program is accepted at more 40 colleges and universities, including Madison College.
YAM’s coursework is also offered at a significantly lower cost than traditional undergraduate programs, making education more accessible to the masses. The badge courses start at under $25 per month, with certificate courses starting under $60 per month and associate degree courses starting at $125 per month.
“This is realizing the ultimate potential of education, and it’s an important step,” says Madison College President Jack Daniels III, noting that similar types of licensing partnerships are uncommon for technical colleges. “The pandemic showed us how portable education can be. Why shouldn’t others — especially those who live where access to education is more limited — benefit from the knowledge that comes from our courses?”
YAM Education Inc.
