Whizz Education has stated its desire to assist education stakeholders across the Middle East raise education standards for refugees with our CEO Richard Marrett recently representing us at the Levant Trade Mission Lebanon and Jordan.
Richard went to the Middle East as part of a 12-member delegation organised by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), in partnership with the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Department for International Development (DFID). The objective of this trip was to explore investment opportunities for British EdTech companies who wish to help expand the capacity of the Lebanese and Jordanian education systems as they integrate Syrian refugee children.
“The education systems in both Jordan and Lebanon are facing increased pressure as a result of the Syrian refugee crisis,” Richard says.
“Whizz is aware of the enormous pressure on students, teachers and schools, to make sure refugee children are integrated and receive safe quality learning.
“We want to do everything we can to help schools in Lebanon and Jordan to manage capacity issues and support them to provide high-quality education and innovative learning tools to all their students.
“Our company already has operations in the UAE and we are interested in increasing our presence to help provide high-quality educational outcomes for all students across the Middle East.”
The delegation’s first visit was to Amman, Jordan, where they met with the UK’s Chargé D’Affaires who gave them an overview of the country’s education system, where the delegates learned that 70% of schools in Jordan are public and that 130,668 of the two million students in the system are Syrian refugees.
Following the meeting, the delegates visited schools across the Jordanian capital, including the public Zahra Secondary School and the private Amman Baccalaureate School, where they saw how EdTech had been successfully implemented across both school systems. Richard and the delegates then met with the Jordanian Minister of Education and his staff, with whom they had discussions about how the UK could help support education in the country.
With their engagements in Jordan concluded, the delegates then moved on to Beirut, Lebanon where they had meetings with the country’s caretaker Minister of Education, Marwan Hamadeh. Unlike Jordan, most of Lebanon’s students are privately educated, with only 30% of Lebanese schools in the public system. However, this system is under increasing strain, having seen the number of school children double due to the influx of Syrian refugees.
After a meeting with the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, the delegation visited the UK-Lebanon Tech Hub, an international initiative formed by the Banque Du Liban and the UK Government; the Tech Hub works with startups to help support Lebanon’s Knowledge economy. The trip concluded with a visit to local schools, including the Dhour Shweir Public Secondary School.
“It was a very worthwhile trip,” Richard says.
“It’s clear to see that both countries are keen to ensure their students are able to compete on the world stage and an appreciation that UK EdTech companies can support them in achieving this goal.
“We look forward to the possibility of working with schools in Lebanon and Jordan in the future.”
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about partnering with Whizz Education, please don’t hesitate to contact the marketing team