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.