Rushab Shah
18-05-2023
Rewriting Education: How TutorHive is Changing the System
Rushab Shah
18-05-2023

TutorHive is the first platform to use a matching algorithm to find the perfect study group for a student based on their personality and learning style. TutorHive is rewriting the rules of private tuition, making it accessible, effective and enjoyable.

The UK education sector is at a point of negative inflection. Despite their best efforts, educators, policymakers and organisations cannot stop the spiraling deterioration of the education sector. In a report published by the Organisation of Economic Co-orperation and Development (OECD), the UK ranked 13th out of the 36 developed countries for reading, 18th for mathematics and 14th for science.

The mid-tier academic performance is further compounded by a lack of confidence where “60% of parents don’t believe schools prepare pupils for work” from a Times Education Commission study.

So what is truly going wrong with the UK education system?

This system was built in an industrial revolution and has evolved over the last 150 years to disproportionately focus on exams. The rapid change of societal and technology far outpaces the adaptation of the curriculum and approach to learning. UK students are falling behind in a connected and competitive global workforce, which is a cause for concern for a country where 79% of the GDP is generated by the services sectors and contributes to 82% of employment (December 2022). 

Historical budget cuts in real-terms means school spending power is £1.3bn less than 2015 (National Education Union). The cracks due to lack of investment in education were further exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of resources available to support the transition to remote learning had a profound negative impact on both academic and social development of students of all ages. 

The Education Policy Institute Think Tank estimates the government’s education recovery plan as £5bn which is equivalent to £310 per pupil in comparison to £1,800 per pupil in the US and £2,000 in the Netherlands. The Government’s own independent education advisor, Sir Kevan Collins recommended a £15bn investment needed to help students catch up and the education system recover.

The TutorHive co-founders recognised these challenges and were inspired to develop a platform to overcome the systemic challenges in education.

The idea was seeded in 2019 by Bapi Indrakumaran (left), a young serial entrepreneur who had previously owned and managed a tuition centre. The demand for private tuition caused the centre to very quickly become oversubscribed and Bapi was turning parents away due to the challenges of scaling to another physical location.

At the same time, Rushab Shah (right), a Mechanical Engineer by trade was volunteering with Phab, a charity that creates opportunities for disabled and non-disabled individuals to make more of life together. Having spent over 10 years working with the charity, he found that building trust over shared interests with the children was essential for creating an environment in which they felt confident to succeed. He partnered with Bapi to launch TutorHive with the aim of fostering these values in the education sector.

The education sector is a complex and fragmented ecosystem that is in need of a re-think.

TutorHive is re-writing the rules, bridging the gaps in a complex and fragmented education sector, ensuring that students receive the support they need to succeed. The team are harnessing technology to find the right tutor for any student. With a platform built by tutors, the digital environment enables and facilitates collaborative learning. This is compounded with a business model where everyone wins - affordability and accessibility are at the heart of the TutorHive solution, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to unlock their potential.

To learn more about TutorHive and its cutting edge technology platform and how we can help students and tutors, visit www.tutorhive.com or contact Rushab, Co-Founder at [email protected]