Open Educational Technology Ecosystem

Reimagining the African classroom.

Smart School is building an open educational technology ecosystem that brings computing, AI, science and digital learning into ordinary classrooms.

Concept render — proposed classroom transformation
Ordinary classroom
SmartDesk enters
Completed classroom
Concept Render — Proposed Pilot
The platform

One platform. Five layers.

These are not five unrelated products. They are five layers of one platform.

The problem

Turn the classroom into the computer lab.

Dedicated ICT labs require space, security and infrastructure most schools don't have room for — while the desks learners already sit at every day sit underused, or get damaged over time.

The approach

Bring computing into the classroom.

Rather than building a separate lab, Smart School brings secure, purpose-built computing directly into the desks learners already use — refurbished where practical, affordable by design.

Honest status

From Prototype to Classroom

The first SmartDesk prototype has been built. The next milestone is a classroom pilot.

Built — SmartDesk prototype
See SmartDesk
SmartDesk prototype — Built
Classroom pilot — Proposed
Multiple schools — Long-term
Proposed Pilot

The First Smart Classroom

A proposed 20-desk classroom pilot, designed to demonstrate that an ordinary classroom can become a functioning digital learning environment.

20

Learner SmartDesks

1

Teacher station

1

SmartDesk Hub + classroom network

+

SmartDesk OS, Stardy Buddy, USB digital microscopes, science starter equipment, teacher training, installation, monitoring & evaluation

Fund the Pilot
Open ecosystem

Built in the open. Built with the community.

Smart School intends to use an open ecosystem approach to accelerate adoption. Not every component is open source yet — licensing and release status will be defined and published as each layer matures.

Community

Build With Us

Developers

Build software and integrations.

Educators

Create learning resources.

Makers

Experiment with hardware.

Schools

Test the platform.

Organisations

Support deployment.

Manufacturers

Help scale production.

Join the community
Funding

Help Build the First Smart Classrooms

Funding routes include donations, corporate CSI, foundation funding, technology sponsorship, hardware sponsorship, manufacturing support, and education partnerships.

Smart School is not presented as a registered charity unless its legal structure confirms that status.

  • Sponsor a SmartDesk — contribute toward an individual desk
  • Sponsor Technology — Raspberry Pi systems, displays, networking, science equipment, server infrastructure
  • Sponsor a Classroom — support the complete 20-desk pilot
  • Technology Partner — provide hardware, software or infrastructure
  • Manufacturing Partner — support production or refurbishment
Partner enquiry
Long-term vision

Prototype → Pilot Classroom → Schools → Networks → African Ecosystem

01

Prototype

02

Pilot Classroom

03

Pilot School

04

Multiple Schools

05

District / Province

06

African Ecosystem

Technology evolution

We will progressively transition from off-the-shelf hardware to purpose-built educational hardware as adoption and scale justify it.

Raspberry Pi
SmartDesk OS
SmartDesk Hub
Community Ecosystem
Purpose-built hardware — Long-term
Smart School SBC — Long-term

The classroom is ready to become something more.