Ilm Exchange

The Ilm Exchange marketplace platform aims to provide schools easy access to a large marketplace of educational goods and services, including financial services. The objective of the platform is to match schools to the products and services in an affordable manner.

Ilm Exchange is a digital education platform that connects schools, teachers and students with affordable resources to enable quality teaching and learning across Pakistan. CERP’s Education Program developed Ilm Exchange, a digital education platform that connects schools, teachers and students with affordable resources to enable quality teaching and learning across Pakistan. The project was built on findings from rigorous empirical research on improving student learning outcomes in Pakistan’s schools conducted by CERP under LEAPS and RISE. Ilm Exchange’s long-term vision is to become Pakistan’s premier education hub that brings together stakeholders across the education ecosystem, from school leaders to service providers and financers to researchers and policymakers in order to nurture innovation and improve education quality at the system level. 

Ilm Exchange provides the following services: Digital Library (distance learning solution), Teacher training portal and resources, Bazar (marketplace for education service and support materials e.g. textbooks, loans, EdTech), and MISchool (school management information system that helps low-cost private school spread rural and urban areas with administrative tasks including student grading and attendance records and reporting).

This project targeted 6 districts of the Punjab province in Pakistan. Till date, 1,800 schools subscribed to Ilm Exchange purchasing a variety of products and services from vendors. The MISchool’s automatic SMS service to inform parents about their children’s attendance has led to a 10% increase in attendance rates in some participating schools.

Findings
Ilm Exchange Platform:

• When piloting the Ilm Exchange platform, 56% of expressions of interest resulted in a successful transaction, suggesting school owners are open to the concept.

• Most transactions took place in three categories of products: stationery & printing, textbooks, and the management information tool.  

• Schools are interested in actively using the digital marketplace for purchasing education services and products if the platform ensures these three primary elements: better pricing, high quality products, and good customer service.

MISchool Platform:

• There is a real need and a significant market for a management tool like Mischool. Currently, there are more than two dozen established products in the market.

• The tool increases school revenues. Mischool provides an effective financial management system that can help in fee recovery and expense management. 

• Schools use the tool to differentiate itself from other schools in a fairly competitive market