As Nigeria grapples with the challenges of under-resourced schools, overburdened teachers, and overcrowded classrooms, a new AI-powered education platform—**Shepherd**—is positioning itself as a game-changing solution. Co-founded by Moyo Orekoya and Kehinde Williams, Shepherd is an innovative teaching assistant designed to relieve teachers of administrative overload while delivering personalised, AI-enhanced academic support to students.
In an exclusive interview with *WALE AKINSELURE*, Orekoya sheds light on how the platform is tailored to transform the learning experience across Nigerian schools and beyond.
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### **Solving the Twin Crisis of Overworked Teachers and Under-Supported Students**
“What inspired Shepherd,” Orekoya explained, “was the daily reality of teachers drowning in administrative work—grading, lesson planning, exam preparation—while struggling to meet the individual needs of 30 to 50 students per class.”
Shepherd acts as an AI-powered co-pilot: it automates routine tasks such as essay grading and lesson generation, but more crucially, allows teachers to assign personalised AI tutors to students. These tutors create quizzes, flashcards, study plans, and provide feedback—all within minutes.
For students, this means 24/7 academic support tailored to their unique learning pace. For teachers, it frees up valuable time for more impactful classroom engagement.
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### **AI With a Human-Centred Approach**
In a world increasingly wary of AI’s influence on education, Orekoya is quick to clarify: “Shepherd is not here to replace teachers. It’s an amplifier—not the driver. We’ve built it on the Socratic method. It doesn’t hand students answers; it challenges them to think, explain, and reflect.”
Teachers remain in control, with full visibility into student progress, allowing them to step in with timely support.
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### **What Sets Shepherd Apart?**
Unlike many edtech tools that focus solely on delivering content, Shepherd is **pedagogy-first**, not content-first. Drawing on principles of learning science—such as spaced repetition, scaffolding, and real-time feedback—Shepherd is built to maximise long-term understanding rather than rote memorisation.
Citing the World Bank’s “From Chalkboards to Chatbots” study, Orekoya points to compelling evidence: “Teacher and AI collaboration yielded better learning outcomes than any standalone intervention. That’s the foundation Shepherd is built on.”
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### **Impact Already Being Felt**
According to Orekoya, Shepherd is already proving effective. “Teachers report saving up to 75% of the time spent grading essays, allowing them to assign more writing tasks. Students are seeing tangible improvements in study habits and exam readiness.”
Over 150,000 students have used the platform directly, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
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### **Backed by Y Combinator, Built for Global Scale**
Shepherd is backed by prestigious startup accelerator **Y Combinator**, giving it access to global expertise and funding.
“Y Combinator’s support validates what we’re doing,” said Orekoya. “It signals that the world believes African schools can leapfrog traditional education bottlenecks through intelligent innovation.”
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### **Expanding Reach in Nigeria and Across Africa**
While Shepherd is already used by students globally via its student platform (*shepherd.study*), the teacher-in-the-loop version (*teacher.shepherd.study*) is now being piloted in Nigeria and the United States. The company is expanding rapidly through school partnerships, government collaborations, and teacher ambassador programmes.
And yes, Shepherd is actively aligning with **local curricula like WAEC and JAMB**.
“We are working closely with Nigerian schools to ensure our tools are mapped to national standards. You can upload a JAMB syllabus, and Shepherd will instantly generate a study plan, notes, flashcards, quizzes, and reminders—everything needed to prepare effectively.”
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### **Lowering Barriers to Access**
Understanding the economic realities in Nigeria, Shepherd offers **flexible pricing** models: school-wide licenses, parent-funded packages, and government or NGO-sponsored access for public schools.
“We're also optimising the platform for low-end Android phones and rolling out mobile onboarding in local languages,” Orekoya said.
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### **Government Collaboration and Public Sector Integration**
Orekoya sees **public-private collaboration** as essential. “To reach every student, we need government partnership. We’re actively engaging ministries, governors’ forums, and donor agencies to integrate Shepherd into Nigeria’s public school system.”
A strong focus is also being placed on **teacher training**. The team is rolling out “train-the-trainer” workshops and professional development initiatives to ensure teachers are well-equipped to use the platform.
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### **Preparing African Students for the AI Future**
“AI is shaping the future of work and learning. Countries like China are already teaching AI to children as young as six,” Orekoya observed. “If African students are to compete globally, they must learn how to collaborate with intelligent systems—not just code, but reason and problem-solve.”
That, he says, is what Shepherd enables.
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### **Final Word to Parents and Schools**
For Orekoya, the message to parents and school leaders is clear: *“Ask your school: What are you doing to prepare my child for a world shaped by AI?”*
If the answer is unclear, Shepherd is ready to help.
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