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# System prepended metadata

title: Taalim Platform - Requirements & MOQ Document

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# Taalim Platform - Requirements & MOQ Document

## Executive Summary

Taalim is a dual-purpose educational platform combining a **free School Management System** with a **paid AI-enhanced Learning Platform**. The business model leverages schools as acquisition channels for student subscriptions through a commission-based referral system.

---

## 1. Business Model Overview

### 1.1 Core Strategy
- **Free School Management System** → Customer acquisition tool
- **Paid Student Learning Platform** → Primary revenue source  
- **Commission-Based Referrals** → Incentivizes schools/teachers to drive subscriptions

### 1.2 Revenue Streams
| Source | Details | Revenue Split |
|--------|---------|---------------|
| **Student Subscriptions** | Basic (500 KES), Standard (1,500 KES), Premium (3,000 KES) | Direct to Taalim |
| **Teacher Commissions** | Initial: 10%, Renewals: 5% | Monthly payouts |
| **School Commissions** | Initial: 5%, Renewals: 2.5% | Monthly payouts |
| **Content Marketplace** | School-created content sales | Schools: 25%, Teachers: 10%, Developers: 5%, Taalim: 60% |

### 1.3 Target Market
- **Primary**: Kenyan schools (200-800 students per school)
- **Launch**: 10 pilot schools
- **Expansion**: East Africa region

---

## 2. Platform Components

### 2.1 School Management System (FREE)

#### Core Features
- **User Management**: Students, teachers, staff, parents with role-based access
- **Academic Management**: Classes, subjects, grades, curriculum planning
- **Attendance Tracking**: Student and staff attendance with automated reports
- **Grading System**: Digital gradebook with automated calculations
- **Timetable Management**: Automated schedule generation with conflict detection
- **Communication Hub**: Announcements, messaging, parent notifications
- **Resource Management**: Digital library, asset tracking, document storage
- **Financial Management**: Fee tracking, expense management, budget planning

#### Specialized School Tools
- **Schemes of Work**: Weekly planning with HOD approval workflow
- **Lesson Plans**: Daily lesson planning with HOD review system
- **Class Diary**: Lesson tracking and progress monitoring
- **Log Book**: Official school events and inspection records
- **Staff Register**: Teacher attendance and movement tracking
- **Duty Roster**: Supervision duty scheduling and tracking

### 2.2 Learning Platform (PAID)

#### Subscription Tiers
| Feature | Basic (500 KES) | Standard (1,500 KES) | Premium (3,000 KES) |
|---------|-----------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| **Content Access** | ✅ All Taalim content | ✅ All Taalim content | ✅ All Taalim content |
| **School Content** | ❌ Purchase separately | ❌ Purchase separately | ❌ Purchase separately |
| **AI Text Help** | ❌ | ✅ Basic AI features | ✅ Advanced AI features |
| **AI Audio** | ❌ | ✅ Text-to-speech | ✅ Audio generation |
| **AI Video** | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Video illustrations |
| **Monthly AI Credits** | 0 | 100 | 500 |

#### AI Features by Tier
- **Standard Tier**: Text summarization, quiz generation, basic tutoring
- **Premium Tier**: Audio content creation, video illustrations, advanced personalization

### 2.3 Content Marketplace

#### For Schools
- Create and monetize educational content
- Set custom pricing for their content
- Option to keep content exclusive to their students
- Revenue sharing: 25% of sales

#### For Students
- Browse content from all participating schools
- Purchase individual content pieces
- Access to Taalim's premium content library
- Family discounts: 2-4 students (15%), 5+ students (25%)

---

## 3. Technical Requirements

### 3.1 Backend Technology Stack
- **Framework**: Django REST Framework (Python)
- **Database**: PostgreSQL (primary), Redis (caching)
- **Task Queue**: Celery with Redis broker
- **File Storage**: blackblaze Storage
- **Authentication**: JWT with role-based permissions
- **Payment Processing**: Paystack (supports M-Pesa, cards, bank transfers)
- **Real-time Features**: Django Channels (WebSockets)
- **AI Services**: Gemini llms
- **Email/SMS**: SendGrid, Twilio
- **Monitoring**: Sentry, New Relic

### 3.2 Frontend Technology Stack
- **Framework**: Next.js 14 with TypeScript
- **Styling**: Tailwind CSS with custom design system
- **State Management**: Redux Toolkit + React Query
- **UI Components**: Custom component library + Radix UI
- **Charts/Analytics**: Recharts, D3.js
- **Forms**: React Hook Form with Zod validation
- **File Handling**: React Dropzone, image cropping
- **Rich Text**: TipTap editor
- **Real-time**: Socket.io client
- **PWA**: Next.js PWA support

### 3.3 Infrastructure Requirements
- **Hosting**: coolify + Docker
- **CDN**: CloudFront/CloudFlare for asset delivery
- **Database**: Managed PostgreSQL with automated backups
- **Cache**: Redis cluster for session storage and caching
- **Load Balancer**: Application load balancer with auto-scaling
- **Monitoring**: Comprehensive logging and metrics
- **Security**: SSL certificates, DDoS protection, WAF

---

## 4. Key Integrations

### 4.1 Payment Processing
- **Primary**: Paystack (handles M-Pesa, bank transfers, cards)
- **Currency**: KES (primary), USD (future expansion)
- **Features**: Recurring billing, family discounts, automated payouts
- **Commission Payouts**: Monthly automated transfers to teacher bank accounts

### 4.2 AI Services
- **Text Processing**: Custom models for educational content
- **Audio Generation**: Text-to-speech with multiple voices
- **Video Creation**: Automated educational video generation
- **Content Analysis**: Plagiarism detection, quality scoring
- **Personalization**: Learning style detection, adaptive recommendations

### 4.3 Communication Services
- **Email**: Transactional emails, newsletters, notifications
- **SMS**: OTP verification, urgent alerts (Kenya-focused)
- **Push Notifications**: Real-time updates for mobile apps
- **In-App Messaging**: Teacher-student-parent communication

---

## 5. User Roles & Permissions

### 5.1 School Management Users
| Role | Key Permissions |
|------|----------------|
| **School Admin** | Full system access, user management, financial reports |
| **Principal** | Academic oversight, teacher management, school reports |
| **HOD** | Department management, lesson plan approval, teacher supervision |
| **Teacher** | Class management, grading, lesson planning, referral generation |
| **Staff** | Limited access to relevant modules (librarian, accountant, etc.) |

### 5.2 Learning Platform Users
| Role | Access Level |
|------|-------------|
| **Student** | Content consumption, assignments, AI features (tier-based) |
| **Parent** | Child's progress monitoring, communication with teachers |
| **Content Creator** | Content creation tools, marketplace management, analytics |

---

## 6. Revenue Model Deep Dive

### 6.1 Commission Structure
```
Student Subscription: 1,500 KES/year (Standard Plan)
├── Teacher Commission (Initial): 150 KES (10%)
├── School Commission (Initial): 75 KES (5%)
├── Taalim Revenue: 1,275 KES (85%)

Student Renewal: 1,500 KES/year
├── Teacher Commission (Renewal): 75 KES (5%)
├── School Commission (Renewal): 37.5 KES (2.5%)
├── Taalim Revenue: 1,387.5 KES (92.5%)
```

### 6.2 Content Marketplace Revenue
```
School Content Sale: 1,000 KES
├── School Share: 250 KES (25%)
├── Teacher Creator: 100 KES (10%)
├── Developer Share: 50 KES (5%)
├── Taalim Share: 600 KES (60%)
```

### 6.3 Projected Revenue (1,000 Students)
| Tier | Students | Annual Revenue |
|------|----------|----------------|
| Basic (40%) | 400 | 200,000 KES |
| Standard (45%) | 450 | 675,000 KES |
| Premium (15%) | 150 | 450,000 KES |
| **Total** | **1,000** | **1,325,000 KES** |

**Monthly Commission Payouts**: ~132,500 KES
**Net Monthly Revenue**: ~1,000,000+ KES

---

## 7. Development Phases

### 7.1 Phase 1: MVP (Months 1-3)
**Deliverables:**
- Complete school management system
- Basic user authentication and role management
- Core academic features (classes, students, teachers)
- Simple attendance and grading systems
- Basic subscription management
- Paystack payment integration
- Teacher referral code generation

**Success Criteria:**
- 3 pilot schools onboarded
- Basic workflows functional
- Payment processing working
- Teacher referral system active

### 7.2 Phase 2: Business Features (Months 4-6)
**Deliverables:**
- Advanced school management features
- Comprehensive reporting system
- Content marketplace foundation
- Commission tracking and payouts
- Email/SMS notification system
- Mobile-responsive design
- Basic AI text features

**Success Criteria:**
- 10 pilot schools fully operational
- First commission payouts processed
- Content marketplace live with school-created content
- 100+ student subscriptions

### 7.3 Phase 3: AI Integration (Months 7-12)
**Deliverables:**
- Full AI feature suite (text, audio, video)
- Advanced analytics and reporting
- Mobile applications (iOS/Android)
- Advanced personalization features
- Comprehensive admin dashboards
- Performance optimization

**Success Criteria:**
- 1,000+ active student subscriptions
- AI features fully functional across all tiers
- Mobile apps launched
- Expansion to additional schools

---

## 8. Technical Architecture

### 8.1 System Architecture
```
Frontend (Next.js) → API Gateway → Backend Services
                                    ├── Auth Service
                                    ├── School Management Service
                                    ├── Learning Platform Service
                                    ├── Payment Service
                                    ├── AI Service
                                    ├── Content Service
                                    └── Analytics Service
```

### 8.2 Database Design
- **User Management**: Users, Roles, Permissions, Sessions
- **School Data**: Schools, Classes, Subjects, Academic Years
- **Learning Content**: Content, Assignments, Submissions, Grades
- **Subscriptions**: Plans, Subscriptions, Payments, Usage
- **Referrals**: Codes, Tracking, Commissions, Payouts
- **Analytics**: Events, Metrics, Reports, Insights

### 8.3 Security Requirements
- **Authentication**: Multi-factor authentication for admin users
- **Authorization**: Granular role-based permissions
- **Data Protection**: GDPR-compliant data handling
- **Payment Security**: PCI DSS compliance for payment processing
- **API Security**: Rate limiting, input validation, CORS policies
- **Infrastructure**: Regular security audits and penetration testing

---

## 9. Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) - Resource Requirements

### 9.1 Development Team Structure
| Role | Quantity | Duration | Responsibility |
|------|----------|----------|----------------|
| **Project Manager** | 1 | 12 months | Overall coordination, stakeholder management |
| **Backend Developers** | 2-3 | 12 months | Django REST API, database design, integrations |
| **Frontend Developers** | 2-3 | 12 months | Next.js application, UI/UX implementation |
| **AI/ML Engineers** | 1-2 | 8 months | Custom AI features, model training |
| **Mobile Developers** | 1-2 | 6 months | iOS/Android applications (Phase 3) |
| **DevOps Engineer** | 1 | 12 months | Infrastructure, deployment, monitoring |
| **QA Engineers** | 2 | 10 months | Testing, quality assurance |
| **UI/UX Designer** | 1 | 8 months | Design system, user experience |

### 9.2 Infrastructure Costs (Monthly)
| Service | Cost (USD) | Description |
|---------|------------|-------------|
| **Cloud Hosting** | $200-500 | AWS/GCP compute instances |
| **Database** | $100-300 | Managed PostgreSQL + Redis |
| **CDN & Storage** | $50-150 | File storage and content delivery |
| **Third-party APIs** | $100-200 | Paystack, email, SMS, monitoring |
| **Security & Monitoring** | $100-200 | SSL, security tools, monitoring |
| **Total** | **$550-1,350** | Scales with user base |

### 9.3 Development Timeline
```
Month 1-3:  MVP Development & Initial Pilot
Month 4-6:  Business Features & Market Validation  
Month 7-9:  AI Integration & Advanced Features
Month 10-12: Optimization & Scale Preparation
```

### 9.4 Budget Estimation
| Category | Cost Range (USD) |
|----------|------------------|
| **Development Team** | $180,000 - $300,000 |
| **Infrastructure (Year 1)** | $6,600 - $16,200 |
| **Third-party Services** | $5,000 - $10,000 |
| **Marketing & Launch** | $20,000 - $50,000 |
| **Legal & Compliance** | $5,000 - $15,000 |
| **Contingency (20%)** | $43,320 - $78,240 |
| **Total Year 1** | **$259,920 - $469,440** |

---

## 10. Success Metrics & KPIs

### 10.1 Business Metrics
- **School Adoption**: 90%+ daily active usage of management system
- **Student Conversion**: 15%+ subscription rate within 6 months
- **Teacher Engagement**: 70%+ teachers actively referring students
- **Retention Rate**: 80%+ annual subscription renewal
- **Commission Accuracy**: 99%+ accurate commission calculations

### 10.2 Technical Metrics
- **System Uptime**: 99.9% availability
- **Page Load Speed**: <2 seconds average
- **API Response Time**: <500ms for 95% of requests
- **Mobile Performance**: 90+ Lighthouse score
- **Security**: Zero critical security incidents

### 10.3 User Experience Metrics
- **User Satisfaction**: 4.5+ star rating
- **Feature Adoption**: 60%+ of users using core features
- **Support Tickets**: <5% of users requiring support monthly
- **Onboarding**: 80%+ completion rate for new users

---

## 11. Risk Assessment & Mitigation

### 11.1 Technical Risks
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation Strategy |
|------|--------|-------------------|
| **Scalability Issues** | High | Microservices architecture, cloud auto-scaling |
| **Payment Integration Failures** | High | Multiple payment providers, robust error handling |
| **AI Model Performance** | Medium | Gradual rollout, fallback mechanisms |
| **Data Security Breach** | High | Regular security audits, encryption, compliance |

### 11.2 Business Risks
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation Strategy |
|------|--------|-------------------|
| **Low School Adoption** | High | Comprehensive training, ongoing support |
| **Competition** | Medium | Unique value proposition, continuous innovation |
| **Economic Downturn** | Medium | Flexible pricing, basic free tier |
| **Regulatory Changes** | Low | Legal compliance monitoring, adaptable architecture |

---

## 12. Next Steps

### 12.1 Immediate Actions (Week 1-2)
1. **Team Assembly**: Recruit core development team
2. **Infrastructure Setup**: Initialize development environments
3. **Pilot School Recruitment**: Identify and onboard 3 initial schools
4. **Design System**: Create comprehensive UI/UX guidelines
5. **Technical Architecture**: Finalize system architecture decisions

### 12.2 Month 1 Deliverables
1. **Project Setup**: Complete development environment setup
2. **Core Models**: User management and authentication system
3. **Basic UI**: Login, dashboard, and navigation components
4. **Database Schema**: Complete database design and migrations
5. **Payment Integration**: Basic Paystack integration

### 12.3 Go-to-Market Strategy
1. **Pilot Program**: 10 schools, 6-month free trial
2. **Teacher Training**: Comprehensive onboarding program
3. **Content Seeding**: Initial content library creation
4. **Referral Program**: Launch teacher incentive program
5. **Market Expansion**: Scale to 50+ schools by end of year 1

---

## Conclusion

Taalim represents a unique opportunity to revolutionize education technology in Kenya by combining essential school management tools with AI-enhanced learning experiences. The freemium model creates a sustainable path to scale while the commission structure ensures all stakeholders benefit from the platform's success.

The technical architecture is designed for scalability, the business model is validated through market research, and the development approach minimizes risk through iterative delivery and continuous user feedback.

**Estimated Total Investment**: $260k - $470k for Year 1
**Projected Break-even**: Month 8-12 with 1,000+ subscriptions
**Expected ROI**: 200%+ by end of Year 2 with market expansion

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*This document serves as a comprehensive guide for development planning, resource allocation, and stakeholder alignment for the Taalim platform.*