Comparison
Temari and Qalam, side by side
Both bring Ethiopian curriculum content to a screen. Qalam is built around lessons for the last four grades. Temari is built around the whole school and its exams.
What Qalam is
Qalam is a digital learning platform built in Jijiga. Its site offers lessons for Grades 9 to 12 across the core subjects and streams, aligned with the national curriculum, with interactive PhET simulations for science and mathematics, AI powered quizzes with feedback, and progress tracking. Grades 7 and 8 are announced as coming.
It reaches students through its app and through preloaded tablets and Android TV boxes, with a partnership with Ethio telecom for accessibility. Content is developed by Ethiopian educators.
The two platforms, from their own pages
Qalam
Lessons for Grades 9 to 12, with Grades 7 and 8 announced.
Temari
National exam practice for Grades 6, 8 and 12, a study library that follows the national textbooks across the years, and a school platform from KG up.
Qalam
An app, preloaded tablets and Android TV boxes.
Temari
Any phone's browser, and an installable app built to keep working when the connection drops.
Qalam
AI powered quizzes with personalized feedback are listed.
Temari
Real past entrance papers by subject and year, with answer keys, timed mocks and worked explanations.
Qalam
Prices are not published on qalamsms.com.
Temari
A free account covers the exam practice. The AI study upgrade is 199 ETB per month.
Qalam
Lessons, simulations and quizzes are its own world.
Temari
When a school runs Temari, the same account also carries the student's real attendance, marks and report cards.
Qalam facts read from qalamsms.com in August 2026. If their site has changed since, their page is the truth about them.
Lessons and past papers do different work
Qalam's lessons and simulations explain the curriculum, and simulations are a genuinely good way to meet a physics concept. Temari's practice starts from the other end: the paper the student will actually sit. Past entrance exams by subject and year, with the answer defended by an explanation that cites the textbook, teach the format and the timing alongside the content.
A student preparing seriously for Grade 12 wants both kinds of work. For the paper half, Temari's library is free.
One account from classroom to exam hall
Temari is also the platform the school itself runs on: attendance from the morning gate, marks as teachers enter them, report cards when the term closes. A student's studying and their school record live in one account, and a parent watches both from the same app. Qalam, by its own description, is a content platform; it does the lesson half and stops there.
Open a real entrance paper
Pick a subject and a year, answer real questions, and read the explanations. The account is free.
Does Temari have video lessons like Qalam?
Temari's library carries chapter notes that follow the national textbooks, video lessons where they exist, and practice for each unit. The centre of gravity is practice: questions, papers and explanations.
Which grades does Temari's exam prep cover?
The three national exams: Grade 6, Grade 8 and the Grade 12 entrance exam, both streams. The study library itself follows the curriculum across the school years.
Do I need a special device?
Any phone works. The site runs in the browser, the app installs from it, and both are built for weak connections.
Is Temari free for students?
Exam practice is free with an account. The AI tutor upgrade at 199 ETB per month is optional and can be cancelled anytime.