International expansion
In November 2020, Alef Education signed a cooperation agreement with Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs granting schools under its system access to our digital learning platform. The grant provides access for up to 500,000 Grade 7 students in Madrasah schools in Indonesia, beginning in July this year, which is also the start of their academic year. The expansion is part of Alef Education’s global growth plans, with Indonesia serving as an entry point in Asia.
INDONESIA’S MADRASAH SCHOOL SYSTEM
Madrasah schools are Islamic schools that are managed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia. These schools offer mostly Islamic subjects alongside secular subjects; other madrasahs offer a purely Islamic curriculum. As part of the Ministry’s efforts to improve the quality of education in its madrasah schools, it tapped Alef Education to enable students to access its AI-powered digital learning platform. Ministry officials believe that the digitalisation of education can improve learning outcomes in selected subjects as well as student motivation towards learning as a whole. Alef Education and the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs will be working together closely over the next year to raise awareness about Alef Education's digital platform throughout Indonesia, in anticipation of its implementation in July. ALEF EDUCATION SUPPORT
Alef Education has extensive experience in implementing digital programs, particularly in the UAE where it has rolled out the program to all public schools from Grades 5 to 12. This experience will be used to ensure the students, teachers, principals and other stakeholders are well supported.
DIGITAL CONTENT SCOPE
The digital content to be offered is Grade 7 Mathematics and is closely tied to the Indonesian education curriculum with a plan to expand to Grades 8 & 9 over the next two years. Further subjects will be added to the digital platform in due time. The content will include a mix of short videos, games, and assessments, which are all designed to be engaging, interactive, and interesting for students. For the math content design, the GASING method will be used as the foundation for the lessons. The GASING method is designed to support math skills development by making math fun, easy and enjoyable (their slogan being ‘Gampang, Asyik, dan Menyenangkan' or "GASING"). By making math fun, students will be more motivated to learn important math skills to prepare them for the workforce. The GASING method develops mastery through three stages of skill development: Concrete, abstract, and mental computation. At the ‘concrete’ level, students explore the basic concept. At the ‘abstract’ level, concrete examples are changed to abstract mathematical symbols. At the ‘mental computation’ level, students learn to solve problems without aids. This stimulates mental processing of both brain hemispheres. These areas of development enhance affective, psychomotor, and cognitive skill development. The GASING method supports students to be confident, creative, and critical thinkers to help them be successful in the future.
