The global education technology market size was valued at USD 89.49 billion in 2020 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 19.9% from 2021 to 2028. Digitalization of the mediums of learning such eBooks and online streaming and emergence of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education platforms are the major factors driving growth in this market space. STEAM mechanism has proven to be beneficial in the learning experience of school-goers as it applies project-based learning method in an environment inclusive in nature to the conventional curriculum of school and enables students to learn in accordance with real-life experience. However, STEAM is a space that is yet to be explored completely as the school faculties need to be more familiar with the method to deliver it in its full potential.

This is why Clever Play was established in Bahrain in 2018. It aims to provide an after-school STEAM education platform where students come across immersive and inter-disciplinary project-making in the spirit of playful exploration. Its learning ecosystem goes beyond classroom lessons. Learners get to think and tinker beyond the books making topics interesting, relatable, and enjoyable. Clever Play employs STEAM method of learning to enable students to get involved into problem-solving tasks.

The WE Magazine engaged in a conversation with Latifa Al Khalifa, Co-Founder and CEO of Clever Play in order to know more about the organization and what value it is adding to the education system of Bahrain.

Along with a brief overview of Clever Play, Please throw light on your expertise as a business leader?

I was very inspired by my nephew who, when he was so eager to explore everything around him; asked all sorts of questions. Traditional learning meet-ups did not quite meet the level that satisfied and nurtured his curiosity. It got us thinking about creating an educational model that could infuse fun and life skills into the conventional means of academics. After thorough exploration, we put an emphasis on STEAM education. We involve storytelling and play to kickstart learning. It's all about creating an inclusive, interactive, and creative environment for learning. We work directly with parents and children. We offer an after-school program in Bahrain where students can come in after school and engage in different kinds of fun programs that we have. We also arrange field trips and birthday parties to introduce a new way of conducting such activities.

You are an entrepreneur in the education sector, so in terms of leading the organization, where is it that you face some of the most critical business challenges? And also, what steps are you taking to actually overcome these business challenges that you face and drive growth within the organization?

I would say the initial challenge for us was building awareness about the importance of STEM/STEAM Education particularly in early childhood. The component subjects that make up STEM were thought to be appropriate for at least high school onwards and yet introducing them early in the spirit of explorative play was critical to positively shape learning habits and mindsets. Oftentimes, people associate learning with rigidity, structure, and seriousness and we wanted to bring a new way of looking at education. To this day, we continue to educate the public, and especially parents, teachers, and school administrators on the value of STEAM in early childhood. I am happy to say, we have made strides to this end. Our service offering has been tried and tested and found to be effective in its aims. In regard to our current partnerships, we've already had amazing responses from our partner schools in the United Arab Emirates. This brings us to another challenge that is to be able to scale efficiently because as we know, if you scale too fast without having the right frameworks and infrastructures in place, it will come crumbling down. It's really about building the fundamentals, so that you can scale sustainably. Being an athlete, I bring the athletic mindset to my business undertaking. Athleticism has honed me on discipline, sacrifice, and a steady drive. It makes me think of different setbacks as a setup for better approaches. Iembrace all the painful aspects of it because it was never promised to be all rainbows and sunshine. I try to keep my internal dialogue very optimistic. I act proactively instead of reactively.

“We involve storytelling and play to kickstart learning. It's all about creating an inclusive, interactive, and creative environment for learning”

What advice would you like to give the women entrepreneurs in Bahrain? Also what is your guiding leadership philosophy?

As a woman, I believe that we need to intentionally break glass ceilings, specifically the ones we ourselves created out of the social conditioning and stereotypes we grew up in. Women need to know their true potential, own their unique qualities, and take the initiative to move forward in order to achieve their goals. I strongly believe in taking the leap of faith, believing in one’s true capacity and standing up for what you deserve irrespective of any social setting. Women today need to take charge of their own aims and work on themselves with hard work and passion.

My personal philosophy in life is to start before you're ready. This is how I started my company. I didn't start with all the background and business know-how. All I had was the willingness and the drive to see what might happen if we were to take action on our idea. There is no such thing as perfect time, place, or plan. One will just have to create it as taking concrete steps gives you real time feedback. When I started Clever Play, I kept a very open mind and soaked on the lessons from failed efforts, and fruitful outcomes. The rich journey that I am on is a story unfolding and I feel it is one that is really worth sharing. I hope my story will inspire others to start their own ventures free from being bogged down by self-imposed limitations. Root for yourself!

Latifa Al Khalifa, Co-Founder And CEO, Clever Play Education And Training

Latifa Al-Khalifa is a Social EdTech Entrepreneur and STEAM education advocate and one of the founding members of Clever Play, a purpose-driven startup with a mission to inspire, educate and empower children with future-relevant STEAM education.