Maski Surpasses 100,000 Users as It Moves Toward One-on-One Learning for Every Child
25 September: Maski, South Africa’s AI-powered education assistant, has reached a major milestone, passing 100,000 users just months after its launch in March. Built by Bytefuse in partnership with educational publisher Maskew Miller Learning (MML) and with a R55 million investment by JSE-listed Novus Holdings, the platform combines artificial intelligence with the South African curriculum to deliver personalised support to learners and teachers across Grades 1 to 12. It runs entirely on WhatsApp.
Maski began with a mission to give teachers their time back. South African educators face extreme demands, including large classes, heavy admin, and limited support. Maski’s assessment generator is designed to create CAPS-aligned tests and worksheets in seconds, freeing up teachers to focus on teaching.
“Teachers in South Africa face enormous pressure and limited resources. What they needed most was time, and Maski gave that back to them,” said André van der Veen, CEO of Novus Holdings. As the tool gained traction, something unexpected happened. Learners began reaching out directly, often late at night, anxious about studying for their tests, exams, or completing their homework.
The team realised that what was being built was more than an assessment engine. It was the foundation for a personal tutor, delivered at scale. But improvements needed to be made. “Even something simple, like response times on WhatsApp, presented early challenges. You need to respond instantly if you’re going to keep a learner engaged. That attention to small details has been critical in our development process,” said André van der Veen.
”Seeing thousands of learners on Maski at midnight before a Maths exam, asking for help changed everything,” said Greg Newman, CEO of Bytefuse. “We started developing an experience for learners, not just to provide answers or homework help, but to understand what each learner needs, just like a good tutor would.”
Today, Maski functions as a personal tutor for Grades 7 to 12 learners. Beyond Maths, it supports critical subjects, including Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Geography and Business Studies, and Maths Literacy, with more being added.
But Maski is not just defined by what it covers. It is defined by how it is delivered. By operating entirely on WhatsApp, with no downloads, no logins, and minimal data usage, Maski is designed for the realities of the South African learner. They can now take a photo of a problem, send a voice note, or type a question, and receive instant, curriculum-aligned help that facilitates learning and builds confidence.
“Maski being available on WhatsApp makes it accessible to anyone with even the most basic smartphone,” said Keshree Alwar, CEO of Maskew Miller Learning. “But more than that, we can now personalise the learning path for each learner. We can address critical teaching and learning challenges in this country. The possibilities feel endless.”
That personalisation is Maski’s north star. “The team is not trying to build another AI chatbot. They are building a one-on-one tutor. This is not an interface that answers a question. It is one that initiates a learning journey, just as a human tutor would,” said Newman.
“The difference between answering a question and creating a tutor is enormous,” added van der Veen. “A tutor starts by asking, ‘What can I help you with?’ and then figures out what the learner is really struggling with. That is our benchmark. That is what we are trying to replicate.”
“To get there, the team has developed a principle called the ‘three-question rule’. Within three interactions of logging in, the learner must be on the right path. That is easier said than done. It requires real-time orchestration of multiple AI models, not just one.”
“We quickly realised that no single model can do everything well. Some are good at Maths, others at translation, others at turning voice notes into text. We built agents that can pass tasks between these models and then test the result against others. That is where the real intelligence happens, not in the model itself, but in how the system uses it.”
This orchestration enables dynamic personalisation. Some learners want a quick answer. Others want a worked example. Some prefer videos. Others want bullet points. The system is learning how to adapt, creating what van der Veen calls a digital footprint, a profile of each learner’s preferences, strengths and behaviours that refines the experience over time.
However, scaling this to millions of learners presents a significant challenge. Creating personalised journeys for 10,000 learners is one thing. Doing it for millions is another. Besides scaling, the Maski team is now beginning to integrate gamification and behavioural science into the tutor’s design.
“We know that the technical problem can be solved,” van der Veen said. “The challenge now is emotional engagement. How do you hook the learner so they come back? TikTok did it for entertainment. Temu did it for shopping. If we do it for education, we change everything.”
That change is not theoretical. It is already visible. A learner in a rural village with no textbook and no teacher can open WhatsApp, type a question, receive an explanation, watch a video, and try again. The education system may still have structural gaps, but Maski is helping learners leap over them.
“This could be transformative,” Newman concluded. “With just over thirteen million learners in South Africa, if just 500,000 learners get better access to learning and enter university because of Maski, it will change their lives. That changes their families. That changes the country.”
Frans Meyer, CEO of Alphawave, an early investor in Bytefuse, echoed this sentiment. “We have been delighted to see the rapid adoption of Maski. It is solving real challenges in real environments. The combination of local curriculum expertise, engineering excellence and a mobile-first approach is unique. With continued iteration and personalisation, Maski has the potential to reshape the future of education for millions. The sky is the limit.”
Visit maski.co.za for more information on how to access Maski on WhatsApp and start generating CAPS-aligned assessments, worksheets and receiving personalised learning support instantly.
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