Is Edtech the Future of Learning?

When the pandemic made the world stand still, schools and universities turned to online tools to deliver instruction. And while students have since returned to classrooms, schools continue to integrate education technology, or edtech, into their classrooms to support teachers and help students learn better.  

According to Investopedia, edtech includes online learning platforms, interactive digital content, virtual classrooms, educational apps, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and other software that support instruction and learning outcomes. It aims to make education more accessible, engaging, and efficient for everyone involved, including school leaders, teachers, students, and parents. It can also provide teachers with evidence-based tools to assess student learning outcomes and how to improve them. 

MENA’s edtech market is expected to grow to $5,487.7 million by 2028, driven by increasing investments in digital learning solutions, government initiatives to enhance educational outcomes, and rising demand for innovative learning technologies.  

Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have quickly emerged as edtech hubs. Edtechs range from on-demand online tutoring platforms serving K-12, like Saudi Arabia’s Noon Academy, Jordan’s Abwaab, and Egypt’s Orcas (recently acquired by Baims), to professional development platforms targeting teachers and school personnel, like Saudi’s Aanaab. The region has seen edtechs emerge in almost every area, including audio learning, Arabic, and coding, although it has yet to see an edtech giant the likes of China’s Yuanfudao or India’s Physics Wallah.  

“The GCC is at a critical juncture in its educational journey. With a youthful population and a growing emphasis on technology and innovation, the demand for high-quality, accessible education has never been higher,” says Hannan Moti, co-founder and CEO of iCodejr, an edtech for coding, robotics, and financial literacy. 

Hannan Moti, co-founder and CEO of iCodejr. Courtesy of Hannan Moti. 

In the UAE, which is home to an estimated 551 edtech startups according to global startup data platform Tracxn.com, government-backed edtech and startups are increasingly integrating into formal education systems. In 2018, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) launched Madrasa, a free eLearning platform with over 5,000 Arabized educational videos in subjects like science, math, biology, chemistry, and physics. The platform, accessible online to over 50 million Arab students worldwide, clinched the prestigious UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize in 2022.

In Jordan, edtech has seen significant uptake on the government level for more than two decades, with initiatives like the Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy and e-learning and education management platform EduWave, which launched in 2003. In 2021, the kingdom drafted an edtech strategy, which reflects the country’s commitment to introduce reform programs to improve technology access in schools. The Google.org and Jack Ma Foundation-funded Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platform Edraak, an online curriculum for K-12 math and English, and test-prep websites like Abwaab and Joacademy, have been integrated into school systems.   

Addressing educational gaps 

According to UnivDatos, higher education will experience the most robust growth of all edtech market segments from 2023 to 2030 as students and institutions seek more flexible and accessible learning options. With the growth of e-learning technologies, there’s a surge in MOOCs and interactive tools that make education more adaptable and enable remote learning, foster research collaborations, and provide skill development opportunities that meet the demands of an ever-changing job market. 

“The region has seen a rapid increase in digital adoption, particularly in education, as schools and universities look for innovative ways to enhance learning experiences. The demand for online and personalized education has surged, creating a significant opportunity for edtech companies,” Yousef Alhusaini, co-founder and CEO of Baims, tells Inc. Arabia. 

Yousef Alhusaini, co-founder and CEO of Baims. Courtesy of Yousef Alhusaini. 

Alhusaini, whose edtech Baims’ recently acquired Cairo-based Orcas, says that the acquisition has allowed Baims to launch new services in three new markets in as many months, setting it on its way to becoming the region’s leading edtech player, with a focus on offering personalized solutions for K-12 to higher education.  

The rise in digital adoption is helped by the fact that the region has a large youth population, ranging between 25% and 50% across the GCC, according to Oxford Business Group.  

“The GCC region has a young and tech-savvy population that is eager to embrace new learning technologies. This demographic is driving the demand for flexible and accessible educational solutions, further fueling the edtech market,” Alhusaini tells us. 

The versatility of edtechs allows them to address pain points on the curricular, instructional, and learning levels. In February, Abu Dhabi’s Alef Education, which has more than one million student users,  partnered with MetaMetrics, the developer behind the Lexile Framework for Reading, to introduce an Arabic reading scale across MENA. The project aims to address one of the biggest challenges in the region: Arabic learning.  

Like Baims, Alef’s online learning platform focuses on creating adaptive, tailored learning programs that allow students to learn at their own pace. AI integration into edtech solutions by companies like Baims and Alef allows them to offer personalized learning approaches that accommodate different learning styles and levels.  

How much tech is too much? 

The rise of edtech in MENA is one way to bridge gaps in education, especially given that one in five children in the region is out of school, according to UNICEF.  

However, a UNESCO report argues that “too much attention on technology in education usually comes at a high cost.” Spending on technology instead of classrooms, teachers, and textbooks for children in low- and lower-middle-income countries may hinder progress toward achieving the global education goal, SDG 4. The report also notes the risk of distraction and lack of human contact. To ensure that technology brings more benefit than harm, objectives must be clear and all stakeholders should use edtech to complement rather than replace traditional educational sources, according to the report.  

Moti, whose startup, iCodejr has raised $30,000 from angel investors, tells us that some of the startup’s challenges include technology readiness. 

“We've encountered challenges such as varying levels of technological infrastructure and the need to adapt content to diverse cultural contexts,” he says. 

“These challenges have also presented opportunities. For instance, we've collaborated with local educators to create tailored curricula. We’ve also partnered with local organizations to improve digital literacy rates,” he adds. 

Another initiative by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), The Digital School, the first comprehensive and accredited Arabic online school, has been making strides in addressing the digital divide by equipping digital learning centers across Egypt, Jordan, Bangladesh, Syria, and Mauritania.  

As the edtech market expands to support the traditional education sector in the region, bridging the digital divide will be key to ensuring equity and inclusion in the next wave of education, which promises to be more personalized to student needs.