Ayman Sadiq is the founder & CEO of 10 Minute School. This is the largest online education platform in Bangladesh which teaches more than 250,000 students every single day, that too completely free of cost. 10 Minute School has won many global accolades and a few to be mentioned would be The GLOMO Award in World Mobile Congress & The APICTA Award which is also known as the Oscars of ICT. Ayman received The Queen’s Leader Award 2018 for creating access to quality education for millions of students in Bangladesh. He is also a One Young World ambassador & he recently got enlisted in the prestigious Forbe’s 30 Under 30 list.
How do you see the usage of short video platforms among Bangladeshi youth?
Short video platforms have become the center of attention in a very brief time frame. It is low-priced, easy to deliver, and shares characteristics that meet everyone’s current fast-paced lives and requirements for social interaction. These platforms have allowed the youth of Bangladesh to express themselves to the fullest while showcasing their talents. Short video platforms have created a unique digital space for millennials to share case studies, educational videos, edutainment videos, and other tips and tricks. We have found a lot of new unique, and exceptional talents through these platforms. Short video platforms are actually pushing a lot of new talents into the limelight. So, the youth would be much more inclined towards these platforms hoping to get the opportunity of getting discovered.
Among the visibly increasing popularity of these platforms, how do you comprehend the possibilities?
An increasing number of people are joining the platforms with the emergence of new content genres. Previously, we only saw younger usesrs coming into these platforms and having fun. Now, even companies and businesses are joining the platforms. It has become obvious that social media marketing and video content go hand in hand. 10 Minute School has multiple accounts on these platforms, and in all those accounts, we have seen a massive number of views and engagement. People require educational content here, and they are very much enjoying it. Eventually, a lot of genres will emerge on these platforms, including big celebrities coming up with their music, dance, and other talents. I strongly believe that over time, like 10 Minute School, other companies will launch courses and live programs in this regard, taking short video platforms to the next level.
SHORT VIDEO PLATFORMS HAVE CREATED A UNIQUE DIGITAL SPACE FOR MILLENNIALS TO SHARE CASE STUDIES, EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS, EDUTAINMENT VIDEOS, AND OTHER TIPS AND TRICKS.
Statistically speaking, the usage of short video platforms has increased throughout the lockdowns. How do you comprehend the potential positive utility of these?
The Covid-19 pandemic caused short video platforms to grow rapidly. During the pandemic, people were mostly home and didn’t have much to do. Under such circumstances, entertainment transformed into a basic human need. Social media, especially these short video platforms, provided a way out of their bubbles to see the world out there, to see the things that were not visible within their bubbles. This is because these platforms made them see what the entire country is doing in the form of short and precise videos. I strongly believe that there are huge opportunities in going beyond our own bubbles and seeing the world from a broader perspective.
Being a pioneer in the ed-tech industry of Bangladesh, what do you think are the future prospects of these platforms to the industry?
We already have multiple profiles here on Likee. Since the last few months, many people have come to us, taken selfies, and told us how much they liked seeing us in Likee. In fact, just the other day, a young person came to me and appreciated the short videos made by 10 Minute School.
He asked, “You make a lot of short videos, right?” I said, “Yes, I do! How do you know me?” He replied, “I saw you on Likee.” Previously, people used to recognize me from social media platforms or the 10 Minute School app and website. Now, an increasing number of people can identify the teachers and me, as the content is bite-sized, digestible, and easy to consume for young generation. Hence, I see a vast possibility for 10 Minute School and the overall Ed-tech industry to be in these Short Video Platforms.
What, in your views, could be the critical points to improve for these platforms to become education friendly platform?
Following the trend of short videos, 10MS has achieved more success that we didn’t expect before. However, for educational content on short video platforms, there is still some room to be improved. Firstly, we have noticed that there isn’t much engagement in the comment section, despite a huge number of views. Secondly, we are unable to post links to bigger content because once we use one content as a hook, they like it. However, it is not always possible to explain the entire content within 15 seconds or 1 minute. We need them to view longer videos on our website or app. Aside from that, if we had the advertisement ability to target and reach our audience that we want to showcase the right courses and contents, that would be wonderful. It would help us to reach out to the right audience. Since educational contents have slightly less entertainment factor, it gets deprioritized because of the algorithm. So, if we could have a separate segment for that, our educational content’s searchability would be easier. Besides, people interested in the academic content would find it quickly, and we could get a lot more viewership in the upcoming days.
I SEE A VAST POSSIBILITY FOR 10 MINUTE SCHOOL AND THE OVERALL ED-TECH INDUSTRY TO BE IN THESE SHORT VIDEO PLATFORMS.
In a time when even YouTube is adapting to these short video platform trends, how do you see 10MS adapting to these trends?
10 Minute School has already gone very bullish about the trends. We are creating short videos relentlessly. Our short video platform manager Abdullah Al Shihab is in direct contact with the short video platforms and is closely working with them. He is staying updated regarding the algorithm, keeping track of the trends, hashtags, and campaigns. We also have a short video platform team who are only creating short videos to publish them on the short video platforms. The future is definitely very bright, and the number of people getting into these short video platforms is pretty much higher. We have very ambitious targets. We are planning for geometric growth and colossal momentum on the content production side. We are extremely hopeful for the future that has been held for us in the short video platforms, and we will remain very bullish about it. We hope to get the support we have been getting so far, and we really look forward to it.
