Nayla Zreik Fahed

Nayla Zreik Fahed - Lebanon

Excellence in Education - 2023

Nayla Zreik Fahed is a champion for education in Lebanon, with a Ph.D. in French literature. She dedicated 24 years to teaching at Saint Joseph University and spearheaded the French teachers’ professional development program. A defining moment occurred in 2012 when Nayla volunteered in hospitals, educating children with chronic illnesses. Recognizing the urgent need for innovative education for vulnerable children, she co-created the e-learning platform Tabshoura with EdTech specialist Nagi Ghorra. They established the Lebanese Alternative Learning (LAL) NGO in 2014. In light of Lebanon's education crisis, Nayla committed herself to LAL, ensuring children's continued education. Under Nayla's guidance, LAL has experienced remarkable growth since 2016. What began as a small team working on a project has transformed into an organization with approximately 30 employees and consultants operating across multiple departments and leading several initiatives. These include Tabshoura, a free digital support platform for all students, Lalmoudaress, which supports teachers' blended learning practices, and an EdTech department focused on developing solutions to provide access to remote areas lacking internet connectivity. LAL's accomplishments include winning the WISE accelerator, the World Summit Award, and the Their World Innovation in Education Award. Nayla herself was recognized with the "Equals in Tech Award" for her technology-driven equality efforts in collaboration with the Malala Fund. Through partnerships with organizations such as GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and MEHE (Ministry of Education and Higher Education), Tabshoura has been able to make a significant impact in public schools. As a result of these collaborations, approximately 60,000 tablets pre-loaded with Tabshoura's and Lalmoudaress educational content have been distributed in public schools, ensuring that students have access to quality digital learning resources. Based on her dedication and perseverance, Nayla has proven that it is possible to create positive change in challenging periods.