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Interview with co-founder
Dr Nayla Zreik Fahred
On 19 December 2017 at the Internet Governance Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, Dr Nayla Zreik
Fahed received the Equals prize for the work she and her partners have carried out though their
NGO, the Lebanese Alternative Learning. We had a chance to meet briefly with her and to learn a
little bit more about their work.
Q: First of all, Dr Nayla Zreik Fahed, could you tel7us a dren center, helping the students keeping up with school
Little about yourselfl and Nagi and I used our flipped class experience to create
My background is a diploma in French Literature. (I have an e-learning platform based on the Lebanese curricu-
a PHD in 18th century literature) and education. I was lum and in Arabic, French and English, the three official
responsible for the training of future French language teaching languages of Lebanon.
teachers at the Education department of Saint Joseph
University in Beirut where I taught for 24 years (History The project success and evolution presented us in front
of literature, French grammar and education). I did a lot with a choice. The security of a teaching job at university
of research about bilingualism and flipped class using or the adventure of founding an NGO and giving back
digital, which rather became my specialty. On a personal to society. We chose the adventure path and we remain
base, I have three wonderful children (a dog and a cat) happy with that decision.
and live in Beirut.
Q: What does Tabshoura mearx, and why is the project
Q: Thestep from teachingat the prestigious tmiversity, St ca(red Tabshoura in a Box?
Joseph,to setting up art NGO is a big otxe. What was your In Arabic, Tabshoura means chalk. The chalk was prob-
ma'm motivatiorx to do this? ably the first and oldest tool of education used by mil-
While working at the university, I met Nagi Ghorra who lions of teachers to teach students for centuries around
was responsible for the department of the New Educa- the world. With the modern technology, the chalk is be-
tional Technology and he helped me in my digital flipped ing less used and it will not be long before it will not be
class initiative. I did some volunteering in a cancer chil- used anymore.
26 DIV A - IN TER N ATIO N A L DIPLO M AT
