Integrated Annual Report 2024
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By 2019/20, digital learning had become increasingly prevalent in K-12 education. However, the pandemic significantly accelerated this shift; forcing schools to rapidly adopt remote and hybrid learning models and necessitating a significant expansion in the use of technology for teaching, testing, and learning management.
This surge in digital adoption has created a dynamic and rapidly evolving market for K-12 EdTech solutions; led by educators and administrators rethinking the role of technology in the classroom, and innovators embracing cutting-edge technologies.
This presents a unique opportunity for EdTech players, such as ourselves, who are at the forefront of developing data-driven, AI-powered solutions that address the evolving needs of modern learners.
The education sector constitutes a sizable and dynamic global market. Its intrinsic link to human capital advancement, societal development, and economic growth have driven governments worldwide to prioritise education spending; making it a resilient sector even during economic downturns.
Data-driven education strategies
Rise of personalized learning
Need for engaging content and real-time feedback
Increasing role for technology and digitalization
Convergence of content, assessment, and learning management
Entry of venture EdTech and Big Tech
Where traditional classrooms can struggle to cater to the diverse learning needs of individual students; personalized learning solutions are on the rise, engaging content is prioritized, and targeted feedback is highly valued.
However, retrofitting these requirements within the traditional teaching model would considerably increase the administrative and time-burden on teachers and educators. The advent of digitalisation and transformation of the education sector has not only surmounted these barriers; but also enabled education providers to adapt to evolving learning dynamics and better serve the unique requirements of future-ready students and teachers.
Problems facing
education
Benefits of digital
learning
Increasing student grade gap
Offers immediate feedback for students, allowing for course correction
Costly and inaccessible quality education
Removes barriers to education due to accessibility from any location
Overcrowding in classrooms prevents students from getting required levels of teacher attention
Easily personalized to individual student needs
Global K-12 instructional materials
expenditure (AED Bn.)
EdTech’s share of global K-12 spend on instructional materials is expected to increase from 36% to 65%, reaching AED 220 Bn. in 2027.
Even as educators embrace digital learning in today's competitive global landscape; educational outcomes, as measured by standardized testing, continue to be paramount. In order to achieve this end, governments and education decision-makers are increasingly seeking partners who can demonstrably improve student performance.
Evolution of Schools/District Instructional Strategy
(US K-12 Market, 2022)
Instructional strategy is shifting from uniform whole-class instruction, to a model that prioritizes personalized learning experiences
Key observations of personalization fueled by digital solutions
This is where the private sector plays an increasingly significant role. From established players to emerging EdTech companies, private education players operate in myriad ways across the education ecosystem: providing education delivery services, learning materials, classroom technology, administrative software, hardware, and professional training.
Alef Education adopts a holistic educational philosophy that emphasizes nurturing all aspects of a child’s development
Creating an environment that ensures students are safe, engaged, supported and challenged
Trending away
| Market dynamic | Distinct markets | Markets converging at varied rates | Mega-markets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer | Distinct markets | Greater dependencies across buying stakeholders | Core buying cohort drives purchasing |
| Funding | Each market has dedicated funding/spend to providers | Providers compete for funding, mindshare across market | Disproportionate funding for enterprise solution |
| Competition | Intra-market best of breed market providers abound | Inter-market; select providers compete across markets | Mega-market; marked by small cohort of comprehensive providers |
| Social model |
|
|
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Our unique position in the EdTech space sets us apart, while directly delivering on the needs of our target market. From personalised learning through an AI-powered study companion; to an incredibly flexible, cloud-native, platform: our offering is scalable and easy to adapt, with experienced project support for adoption.
Proprietary technology and content give us the ability to quickly roll out new features and improvements – so we can offer customers flexibility and tailored solutions that meet their specific needs.
We’ve built our platforms to be personalized – so every student can learn at their own pace.
AI-aided analysis provides learners with individualized instruction that is best suited to their needs – figuring out how each student learns best, and adjusts their lessons accordingly.
We use creativity and a deep understanding of pedagogy to make learning engaging.
Our platforms use mixed media, immersive interactive activities, and even games to make learning more dynamic, enjoyable, and effective.
Instant feedback for both teachers and students; means teachers can tailor their lessons to suit the changing needs of learners, and students can identify lagging areas and work towards remediation.
Our system features some powerful tools for schools: giving teachers, principals, and even parents a clear picture of how students are doing.
The robust Learning Management System (LMS) allows review of progress – from district, down to individual student level; putting essential data in the hands of decision-makers that matter.
Our digital repository reduces the administrative burden on teachers. With all lessons aligned with approved curricula and a pipeline of rich content, educators can focus on what they do best – teaching.
Our team has grown significantly over the years, from just 97 employees in 2017 to over 400 talented individuals today. We have strategically invested in building core capabilities in education and technology; focusing on product development, customer engagement and service delivery, and attracting top talent to fuel our growth.
Today, Alef Education is home to 407 highly-skilled and driven employees. We are proud to have a strong core team consisting of 5% Emirati nationals on board; and are actively working to increase their representation in the years ahead.
With our operations now extending to new geographies, we maintain operations in many countries and are committed to complying with all local labor laws and regulations.
One of our biggest strengths lies in our in-house capabilities. Our content teams, technology innovators, and expert educators deliver meticulously crafted digital learning experiences that are engaging and effective.
Where research has shown that language barriers can be a hurdle for students, we have enhanced our multi-lingual capabilities to ensure the Alef Platform works seamlessly in multiple languages: thereby maximising student learning outcomes across different geographies and language backgrounds.
Our teams incorporate a thorough understanding of pedagogy and learning design to curate learning journeys with educational outcomes in mind. Lessons and assessments follow approved curricula and international standards that ensure students are learning the right things and progressing towards their academic goals.
Similarly, our rigorous assessments go beyond traditional tests. They are designed to measure depth of knowledge and proficiency associated with skill-mastery. These continuous assessments provide valuable insights into student progress, motivation, and areas for improvement.
High-quality content development is central to the success of our platform. Our in-house educators partner with expert content designers to create engaging and culturally sensitive content that guides students through inquiry-based learning and problem-solving.
We follow a streamlined, multistage recruitment process focused on experience, business alignment, and cultural compatibility.
Additional proficiency assessments are included for highly specialized or technical roles.
Partnerships with agencies and leading educational institutions enable us to attract top local talent as part of our Emiratization drive.
Alef Education’s entrepreneurial and creative culture is an essential engine of innovation.
Aside from a culture of open communication, we conduct regular engagement surveys to identify areas for further improvement.
Our competitiveness and success are fueled by diverse perspectives and a depth of multidisciplinary expertise spanning technology, education, data science, and other emerging fields.
We champion female representation at all levels, consistently maintaining over 40% female representation across the organization.
We offer comprehensive and continuous learning and development opportunities for our teams; enabling employees to gain specialized certifications and new skills. Training initiatives encompass a wide range of topics to equip our workforce with technical and other skills required.
Partnerships, such as with AWS EdStart, create enhanced access to cutting-edge technical training that further enhances our organizational capabilities.
H&S is integrated as a core business principle that extends to all employees, contractors, and visitors. We ensure compliance with all legal requirements, conduct regular audits, and engage expert service providers.
We have a comprehensive Health and Safety policy in place, complemented by a Health and Safety risk management system, and a detailed emergency response plan. These ensure hazard prevention, contribute to employee participation, and enhance overall health and wellbeing of staff within a positive Health and Safety culture.
We are passionate about creating innovative learning experiences that empower students and support educators.
Our suite of products and solutions caters to learners across different age-groups and learning styles, and the particular needs of their educators.
Our flagship platform is a comprehensive teaching and learning solution that delivers curriculum, connects students with teachers, teachers with administrators, and parents with others in the school system.
The platform has proven impact through deployment at scale in the UAE and Indonesia; with Morocco next on the horizon.
Our specialized subject-based products that directly address educational challenges.
Pathways is a strong option for both delivery of core-curriculum and remedial solutions targeting learning gaps.
Integral to Pathways is suite of our robust assessment tools, such as the Alef Math Ability Test (AMAT), designed to pinpoint each student’s precise learning level and needs.
Customised solution for non-native speakers.
Tuned for K-12 grades and packed with features to help students master Arabic and prepare for their grade-level examinations in Arabic.
It is a native Android and iOS mobile application
An Arabic learning product focused on K-4 levels.
It offers easy to consume and highly engaging content, through a mobile interface that appeals to the youngest learners.
Includes a series of interactive lessons and content for native-speakers early in their Arabic language journey.
Our newest offering currently under development.
Miqyas Al Dhad is a rigorous, reliable, and objective global psychometric scale for the Arabic language, designed to assess the difficulty levels of Arabic texts and the proficiency levels of students in Arabic. It is being developed through a collaborative effort among various partners, led by ministries of education in the Arab world.
A unique and customized platform providing educators (teachers and school leaders) with self-paced learning opportunities, toolkits, and tailored resources.
These resources not only support implementation of digital learning solutions, but also empower educators for effective teaching to maximize learning outcomes.
Provides real-time access to the educational journey of their children.
Creates connectivity to, and visibility of, student tasks, performance, and progress. Integrated with school communication channels and able to deliver routine analytical insights.
In an environment where change is assured, collaboration is key to transforming education. This is why we actively seek out partnerships within and beyond the EdTech ecosystem: working with industry innovators, leading technology giants, governments, educational institutions, and other organizations who believe in our vision.
Aside from leveraging varied spheres of expertise, these partnerships enable better integration, deeper impact, and an overall better experience for our customers.
MetaMetrics®
Microsoft
Amazon
Web Services
E& (Etisalat)
Etisalat Digital
Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia (MORA)
Moroccan Ministry of National Education
Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan (MPSE)
American Samoa Department of Education (ASDOE)
We believe that in order to realize our vision of education redefined, our digital products and services need to address the felt-needs of our stakeholders, benefit the broader education ecosystem, and result in demonstrable improvement to educational outcomes and attainment. Our research into the nexus of education and technology, is a mission toward this end.
This requires real-world application and testing, backed by rigorous research, which in turn feeds into the development loop to refine and improve our products. By design, our digital platforms and products generate a data-rich environment for academic research – allowing our teams to evaluate the impact of solutions through ongoing analysis.
Continuous data gathering across our implemented platforms provides vital information on how our products perform in actual classrooms, how they cater to a variety of learners’ needs, and how best we can refine them to effect better student outcomes.
In-house research and data aggregation capabilities allow our teams to conduct rigorous research and publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals. This research contributes to the broader understanding of effective digital learning practices and informs the ongoing development of our solutions.
We leverage data collected from our platform to provide industry decision-makers early results, comparative analyses, learning gaps, and trends. This data-driven approach enables and empowers these institutions to better serve their communities and countries.
Alef Education’s research team actively contributes to the field of AI in Education (AIED), with over 15 academic papers published and presented at leading international conferences. This research informs every aspect of our work, from product development and curriculum design to the ongoing refinement of our AI-powered learning platform.
In 2024, we published five academic papers and contributed one book chapter. Additionally, several papers have been submitted and are currently under review by journals and conferences.
| Title | Strategic Purpose | Date | Conference/Journal | URL | ||
| Exploring The Relationship Between Parental Engagement and Social Emotional Learning in UAE Public Schools | Understanding UAE parent engagement factors to better support children’s social emotional learning | Jan. 2024 | The 10th International Conference on Education |
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| Where Generative AI Fits Within and in Addition to Existing AI K-12 Education Interactions: Industry and Research Perspectives |
a. In-depth review of GenAI trends and applications in Academic research and Industry to guide Alef Education GenAI product R&D; b. Team upskill for GenAI in K-12 education |
Feb. 2024 | Book Chapter: Machine Learning in Educational Sciences |
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| Evidence-based R&D Results in Using AI Math Pathway to Close Accumulated Math Skill Gaps in UAE K-12 Education | a. Presenting Alef Math Pathways product efficacy evidence in MIT, elevating Alef’s corporate image in top academic research institute | Jul. 2024 | MIT AI & Education Summit |
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| Grit and Academic Resilience During the Covid-19 Pandemic | Grit, a key predictor of a child’s long-term success, predicts UAE children's’ academic achievement during Covid and this paper constructs a behavioral indicator of grit. | Sept. 2024 | Npj Science of Learning |
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| Bridging the Math Skill Gap: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of an AI-Driven Math Pathways in K-12 Education in the United Arab Emirates |
a. Product efficacy research evidence b. Expand Alef product influence and corporate influence in Gulf region |
Sept. 2024 | Kuwait University, Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies |
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Experience and insights, gained from various geographies, have served as a proof of concept:
showcasing the impact of our products and services, and the transformative potential of EdTech on student learning.
Operating in an expansive digital ecosystem, we understand the critical importance of safeguarding user-data and adhering to the highest ethical standards when utilizing data for research. We are committed to responsible data handling practices, ensuring all data is collected, processed, and stored securely and transparently. We prioritize data privacy and security in our operations, and implement robust safeguards that adhere to relevant data protection regulations.
Refer to view 
details of the extent of our processes for data governance and compliance in line with our vision for sustainable education.
