From Dust to Magic

Lamsa’s Badr Ward says it’s time to come together.

Badr Ward doesn’t just enter a room; he arrives, his signature bow tie a bold proclamation that here is a man with something important to say. This isn’t just about fashion; it’s a statement of intent, a visual cue that signals the innovative and disruptive force within the world of education.

Badr Ward is the CEO of Lamsa, meaning “touch” in Arabic, a learning platform focused on early childhood development for 2 to 8-year-olds, and delivering interactive content and tools for educators to over 20 million learners.

Ward’s journey into educational technology was predestined; his mother started a movement in Saudi Arabia to bring education to deprived children, and his father occupied a senior position at IBM. Badr was raised with the notion of using technology for the greater good but it wasn’t until he became a father himself that the opportunity presented itself.

Lamsa wasn’t born in a boardroom but from the frustrations of a parent. When his son, Adam, started kindergarten, the teacher quickly labelled him ADHD. Ward, with his wife, an educational researcher, knew that Adam’s issue wasn’t a learning difficulty but the opposite: he was a super-fast learner. This experience was a revelation for Badr, highlighting a critical flaw: teachers, often burdened by limited resources and training, struggle to personalise education. As Ward passionately states, “The issue was not Adam; the issue was their diagnosis of Adam.”

Instead of accepting the diagnosis, Ward and his wife didn’t complain; they acted. With a purposeful energy that could only be manifested through wanting to help their child, they created tools and resources for the teacher to engage Adam, proving that personalised learning could transform a child labelled as a problem into a teacher’s favourite student. This small-scale experiment, born in their garage, was the spark that ignited what is now known as Lamsa. The initial R&D phase wasn’t just about testing an idea; it was a mission, and the results spoke volumes about the effectiveness of their approach.

From Garage to Global Impact

What began as a family project soon scaled, reaching over 20 million learners in over 20 countries within a decade. Ward speaks with an infectious enthusiasm, his hands gesturing emphatically as he describes Lamsa’s explosive growth. The COVID-19 pandemic became a pivotal moment, exposing the fragility of educational systems, particularly in early childhood. Governments, scrambling for solutions to deliver and sustain learning outcomes, turned to Lamsa. This wasn’t just a business opportunity; it was a call to action. Ward described this as a “surgical” intervention that revealed what was “under the hood” of the educational system, his voice filled with the urgency and determination of someone who had seen the inner workings of a broken machine.

A Bold Vision for Change

The lessons learned from deploying an online platform across multiple countries where balancing the needs of children with the frustrations of teachers and the red tape of bureaucracy have all led to Lamsa’s ultimate response - the development of the Unified Education Framework, a system designed to bring together funders, operators, and deliverers (teachers). This framework aims to ensure efficient methods and outcomes, apply effectiveness, and empower teachers. It integrates the classroom and the living room, fostering a cohesive approach to child development. Ward leans forward when he speaks about this framework, his eyes gleaming with the conviction that this is the solution the world has been waiting for.

He emphasises that “there’s no one-size-fits-all in this situation” and that the framework is adaptable to different countries’ national aspirations, curriculum, cultures, languages, and learning styles. His years of experience dealing with global governments across all levels of education are evident in the confidence he exudes as he presents his vision for the future.

AI as an Enabler

Lamsa is an AI-native platform, and Ward’s excitement about this technology is contagious. He explains that they invested in AI and data science before it became a mainstream topic, building their own algorithms and data sets from working with millions of children. This early investment allows Lamsa to optimise and personalise learning experiences effectively. AI tools empower teachers, reducing their admin time by up to 50% and allowing them to focus on teaching.

The use of AI is not intended to replace human educators, but to empower them, especially with young children. With a rhetorical flourish, Ward asks, “Would you prefer the child spending more time talking to an empowered educator? Or talking to a machine?”, the answer obvious in his tone.

Challenges and Future

The biggest challenge, according to Ward, is shifting mindsets at the governmental and leadership levels. While speaking about this, his manner changes slightly, he becomes more earnest because he knows the importance of buy-in from the highest levels. Teachers are agile and ready for change when supported, but leaders must be assured that technology is an enabler, not a replacement. Ward stresses the need to create a seamless integration between the classroom and the living room to ensure that learning is engaging and relevant to children. This means understanding the intersection between pedagogy, creativity, and innovation. With Lamsa reaching only 1% of the world’s 2 billion children in the relevant age group, the goal is to scale further. The Unified Education Framework is a step towards ensuring that all children, regardless of location, have access to quality education. With a determined nod, Ward declares, “We have 99% more to go.”

Turning Dust to Magic

Ward also has a passionate message for e-learning developers and designers. Drawing on an old proverb, he says, “An idea can turn from dust to magic depending on the talent it rubs upon”. With a grinning nod towards the slogan on my Dirtyword t-shirt, he agrees that in its current state, “e-learning sucks” and that it is time for instructional designers, game designers, artists, animators, and musicians to “come together, bring all of our talents and rub shoulders to make ideas turn from dust to magical learning experiences for children”.

A Future of Educational Empowerment

Badr Ward’s vision for Lamsa is clear: a world where education is unified and where technology is used to empower both teachers and students, creating a future where all children can reach their full potential. It’s a future he’s not just hoping for; he’s actively building, and he wants us all along for the ride.

Find out more about Lamsa at lamsa.com