Lecturio’s product is designed to make world-class health education accessible and impactful for students. Lecturio offers students access to video lectures from award-winning lecturers from top institutions around the world, as well as thousands of practice questions, articles that are rich in information, and analysis of students’ performance detailing areas for improvement to schools and professors. Lecturio offers this product at a low price to make it available to wider demographics. With the creation of the MEDI, Lecturio sought to take this a step further by implementing quality education to students and universities in underserved areas. This provided the opportunity for students in underdeveloped nations to gain access to a renowned digital medical school in their pocket, covering the complete curriculum they need for success.
Since its beginnings, MEDI has sought to provide its resources to those nations who most need it. Many countries using MEDI are stricken with poverty, war, and overall humanitarian crisis. The results of the initiative have been overwhelmingly positive. To better understand how MEDI has impacted the lives of those who participate, Lecturio contacted Abdirizak Ahmed Abdirizak, a student at Somalia National University, who has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. Students like Abdirizak have been granted free access to Lecturio and is now apart of their daily education—Abdirizak has elaborated on the impact MEDI has made in his life—stating his hopes that Lecturio will change the future for himself and his future patients.
Abdirizak Ahmed Abdirizak,
student at Somalia National University
When asked about the state of Somalia, Abdirizak shed light on the overwhelming struggles students face every day, both in education and daily living. A combination of security issues, environmental challenges, and a suffering economy have made living difficult for everyone in Somalia. Factors such as terrorism, tribalism, and weak governance have made it difficult to have a stable education sector, especially in advanced education such as medical training. Abdirizak highlights the lack of qualified teachers in the field, many of whom only have their own self-interest at heart. Similarly, while he says the nation has seen an increase in the number of universities, the quality of the education is decreasing. He also states that the disillusioned attitude of the students is one of the greatest challenges. Many around him believe, “that education in Somalia is just stopping the bleeding, and nothing more.” Yet, despite this, Abdirizak remains hopeful that he can pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.
Everyday Abdirizak goes to class and clinicals. With the combination of teachers and mostly theoretical learning due to a lack of resources, it can be difficult to properly learn. While many do have access to electronics or online platforms, the online materials previous to Lecturio were in many ways lacking and outdated. Markedly, since the introduction of Lecturio, Abdirizak has seen vast changes in his learning. He states, “from the beginning of my education at university I wanted to be a student studying at Harvard or any university in the United States or other advanced countries. Lecturio has made this easy for me.”
Once this seemed like an impossible reality, but now through Lecturio, it has, in many ways, been achieved. Lecturio has given him access to lectures from outstanding professors—from the very same universities he had once hoped to attend. He also states the convenience of the product has allowed him to learn in a more efficient way, while also providing him with better preparation for his USMLE exams. He expressed that he feels using Lecturio is providing him an opportunity to compete with students in developed nations, such as the United States. Lecturio, paired with his undeniable motivation to learn, will provide him with vast opportunities that his previous circumstances may have denied him.
Although Lecturio has proven very beneficial in Abdirizak’s life, and the lives of others, it has not been free of its challenges. As for implementing Lecturio, Abdirizak states that it can be difficult to gain the support of parents, teachers, and administration alike. Still, Abdirizak believes Lecturio is the “beginning of the road,” and with time and effort Lecturio will better prepare Somali students to become more qualified doctors. When asked about the future Lecturio will bring in Somalia, he envisions a nation with an increase in both the quantity and quality of trained medical professionals. He ended the interview stating, “I am optimistic to change all these difficult conditions to provide future generations with better conditions than our circumstances.”
Students like Abdirizak are the driving forces behind MEDI, and Lecturio. They help make the envisioned dream of Lecturio a reality; providing the best opportunities for all students, not just the ones born in the right family or right place. Abdirizak’s interview demonstrates a need to grow MEDI even further, to more places around the world. It also shows a need for an increase of resources, so that Lecturio can better introduce this technology to students in these places. Most importantly, it shows just how powerful providing an opportunity to someone can be. Abdirizak put it best himself, “I personally do not give in to the circumstances around me.” Regardless of the challenges in his nation, he is dedicated to learning. Lecturio is working effortlessly to combat challenges and grow the initiative, so that more students who are dedicated to learning, like Abdirizak, can access a better education and future.