The Marking App

Introducing The Marking App

About The Marking App

The Marking App researches and builds ground breaking educational solutions to help teachers and students reduce the time they spend on administrative tasks in and outside the classroom through technology. It aims to alleviate the significant administrative burden on educators in South Africa and across Africa, specifically addressing the time-consuming task of grading student assessments. Educators often spend excessive time on marking, detracting from their primary teaching responsibilities, especially in overcrowded classrooms and resource-disparate schools. Our platform offers two interconnected systems and a research portal - namely "Noah by The Marking App", "Kukhanya by The Marking App", and "KMIRI-Africa".

Strategic Focus

Our focus Spans key areas

As a comprehensive educational platform, we pride ourselves on addressing key components crucial to the enhancement of the learning experience. Our commitment spans a spectrum of crucial domains, including Assessments, System Management, Research, Teaching and Learning Materials, and Leadership Development and Training. Each facet is meticulously crafted to contribute to the broader goal of transforming education through innovation, efficiency, and empowerment. Explore this page to gain insights into how The Marking App is reshaping education across these essential dimensions.

Assessments

Revolutionise the evaluation process with intelligent and automated assessment tools.

System Management

Streamline administrative tasks and enhance efficiency in educational system management.

Research

Contribute to the advancement of education through cutting-edge research and innovative insights.

Teaching and Learning Materials

Provide a wealth of educational resources, from interactive games to comprehensive study materials.

Leadership Development and Training

Foster leadership skills and provide training opportunities to empower educators and leaders in the education sector.

App and Web Development

Experience the transformative journey of cutting-edge app and web development, tailored to meet your full potential. Elevate your digital presence with innovative solutions and personalized resources.

What Problem Are We Solving?

South African teachers are overburdened with administrative tasks, with only 66% of classroom time spent on teaching compared to 78% in other countries (TALIS, 2019). Excessive marking (73% report this as a significant stressor) and administrative tasks (63%) contribute to acute stress levels, with one in four teachers experiencing extreme stress. This has led to high attrition rates, with 30% of teachers intending to leave the profession within five years. Overcrowded classrooms and curriculum reforms further exacerbate these challenges (IOL, 2020). The Marking App automates these tasks without the need for heavy technology or exorbitant subscription costs.

Noah by The Marking App

"Noah by The Marking App" is a comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS) that includes comprehensive portals for teachers, students, and school administrators. It allows for online tests and exams, the submission of handwritten assignments, attendance tracking, and the sharing of documents. Teachers can also send bulk emails to parents and students. Additional tools for AI-assisted planning and interactive student learning tools are included. We offer this system to public schools for free.

Kukhanya by The Marking App

"Kukhanya by The Marking App" is a cutting-edge system that automatically marks handwritten test papers with teacher-like feedback on the paper - highlighting areas where students went wrong. It can mark an exam paper in under 30 seconds, saving teachers up to 80% marking administration time. This system is available for a nominal fee, charged per student per year.

The KM Institute for Education Research and Innovation in Africa (KMIRI-Africa)

"KMIRI-Africa" is an exclusive research portal where research outputs and anonymized big data insights from the app are shared. Our research will identify patterns in teacher efficiency gains and student feedback preferences, which can inform the design of future edtech solutions tailored for underserved in the region. Researchers can manage, analyse and organise data on this portal.

Our Executive Team

👨🏽‍💼 Kabelo Mahlobogwane – Founder & Director

👩🏽‍💼 Neo Mohitlhi – Chief Client Relations Officer

👨🏽‍💼 Muzi Gondwe – Chief Technology Officer

👩🏽‍💼 Khutso Selotole – Chief Marketing Officer

👨🏽‍💼 Dickson Lehari – Chief Business Development & Data Analyst

Our Advisory Board

👩🏽‍💼 Shalane Yuen – Executive Director, Trevor Noah Foundation

👨🏽‍💼 Derrick Manyisa – Curriculum Manager, YALI RLC Southern Africa

🧑🏽‍⚖ Adv. Xoli Maduna – Advocate of the High Court & Chair, Thuli Madonsela Foundation

👨🏽‍💼 Sitholindlela Mavengere – Senior M&E Researcher, PAFDI

👩🏽‍💼 Phephile Simelane – Executive Director, Nabantu Partners

👨🏽‍💼 Lethabo Molobi – Philanthropist & Founder, Medics SA

👨🏽‍💼 Dr. Lesedi Matlala (Research Advisor) – University Lecturer & UX and M&E Researcher

The Marking App was founded by Kabelo Mahlobogwane in 2019, during cohort one of The Educationchangemakers Program - a collaboration between the Trevor Noah Foundation and the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Southern African Regional Leadership Center. The project has since gone on to win recognition and awards from organisations such as the Trevor Noah Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, SAB Foundation, Gibs Academy's Festival of Ideas 2020, AYO Tech Solutions and the South African Innovation Summit, British American Tobacco's Battle of Minds Southern Africa (in 2020 and 2023), EdTech Hub and Injini Africa, Alibaba GET, the Thuli Madonsela Foundation, the African Development Bank, USAID, SEDA, the Mastercard Foundation, Champion South Africa, Stellenbosch University's Law Faculty, various African private and public schools, and many more. Current partnerships span across over 15 000 students and teachers, across 24 schools in South Africa.

The Marking App is an institution that researches and builds ground breaking educational solutions to revolutionise the way teachers and students spend their time on administrative tasks in and outside the classroom through technology.