Kenya’s education sector is entering a new phase of digital transformation, driven by rising internet access, widespread smartphone usage, and growing demand for flexible learning systems. As educational technology (EdTech) matures globally with the online education market projected to surpass USD 200 billion by 2026 Kenyan schools and families are increasingly exploring how technology can be used to deliver credible, full-time education beyond physical classrooms.
At the centre of this shift is online schooling, an approach that goes beyond emergency remote learning to deploy structured, technology-enabled education models designed specifically for digital environments.
Koa Academy Kenya is among a new generation of institutions applying purpose-built technology to address long-standing challenges around access, quality, and consistency in education delivery.
Moving beyond pandemic-era remote learning
While awareness of online schooling is high, adoption remains limited. Research conducted by Koa Academy indicates that although 80 per cent of Kenyan parents are aware of online learning options, only 9 per cent have enrolled their children in full-time online schooling. Much of this hesitation stems from experiences during Covid-19, when learning was often unstructured, inconsistent, and dependent on parental supervision.
Technology-led schools like Koa are attempting to redefine that narrative by separating emergency remote learning from deliberately designed digital schooling systems.
Koa Academy operates as a fully online school for Grades 4–12, using a teacher-led digital model that combines live instruction with independent coursework. Students are placed into small virtual classes of eight learners, referred to as Pods, each guided by a dedicated teacher. This structure allows technology to scale access without diluting teacher presence or accountability.
Small-class design powered by digital infrastructure
Central to Koa’s model is the use of technology to enable small class sizes at scale a challenge for traditional brick-and-mortar schools constrained by physical infrastructure. Through live video instruction, learning management systems, and real-time assessment tools, teachers are able to track participation, engagement, and academic progress continuously.
Daily learning dashboards provide visibility into student performance, allowing teachers to intervene early when learners fall behind. Parents are also able to monitor progress through the same systems, creating transparency that is often difficult to achieve in conventional classrooms.
According to Koa Academy’s Co-founder and Principal, Mark Anderson, the objective is to ensure that flexibility does not come at the expense of structure.
“Technology allows us to deliver live, interactive lessons while maintaining consistent academic oversight,” he says. “Students have flexibility in how they complete independent coursework, but accountability is built into the system through regular assessment and teacher-led sessions.”
Mastery-based learning and micro-unit delivery
Koa’s academic platform is built around mastery-based learning, where content is delivered in sequenced micro-units supported by embedded assessments and ongoing teacher feedback. Learners must demonstrate understanding before progressing, ensuring gaps are identified and addressed early.
This approach aligns with broader EdTech trends that use data and analytics to personalise learning pathways, rather than advancing students based solely on time spent in class.
In South Africa, where Koa’s model has been implemented at scale, the school has reported a 98 per cent Grade 12 pass rate, providing evidence that well-designed digital schooling models can deliver rigorous academic outcomes.
Credentialing and credibility in digital education
A key challenge for online education in Africa has been credibility particularly around recognised qualifications and university pathways. Koa Academy addresses this by offering the International Secondary Certificate (ISC), developed by the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) and benchmarked against UK A Levels.
The curriculum is delivered through a teacher-led online model, ensuring that technology supports rather than replaces professional educators. This hybrid of digital infrastructure and human oversight reflects a growing consensus in EdTech that effective learning systems rely on both.
Addressing access, scalability and future readiness
Beyond individual schools, technology-enabled education models are increasingly being viewed as tools to address systemic challenges such as limited physical infrastructure, teacher shortages, and geographic barriers. By removing the need for classrooms while maintaining instructional quality, online schools offer a potential pathway to scale access to high-quality education.
For Kenyan families, the appeal lies not only in flexibility, but in future readiness. Digital learning environments expose students to self-management, digital collaboration, and technology-mediated problem solving skills that align closely with the demands of a rapidly digitising global economy.
As Kenya’s EdTech ecosystem continues to evolve, the distinction between “online” and “traditional” schooling is becoming less relevant. Instead, the focus is shifting to how effectively technology can be used to deliver structured, credible, and measurable learning outcomes.
Koa Academy’s model suggests that when digital tools are designed intentionally and paired with strong academic oversight online schooling can move from the margins into the mainstream of Kenya’s education system.
