Najla Alsaleh

Jordanian engineer leading STEM education reform for girls in Arab nations through immersive learning programs

Najla Alsaleh is transforming science education in the Arab world through her nonprofit STEM for Arab Girls. Starting in Jordan in 2018 but expanding regionally post-2020, her programs now reach 15 countries. Alsaleh pioneered the Virtual Lab Initiative, providing low-cost VR headsets and curriculum to schools lacking lab facilities. By 2023, this program had equipped 200 schools with immersive learning tools, enabling students to conduct virtual dissections and physics experiments.

Her most groundbreaking work is the Girls in Tech Mobility Program, which since 2021 has sent over 800 Arab girls to study at top STEM universities globally through partnerships with MIT, Stanford, and ETH Zurich. Participants return to their home countries as mentors, creating a multiplier effect. Alsaleh also developed the Science Without Borders curriculum, translated into 12 languages, which integrates local cultural examples into STEM lessons - like using Bedouin navigation techniques to teach geometry.

During the pandemic, she created the Home Lab Kits initiative, delivering experiment materials to 10,000 students' homes. This effort was recognized by UNESCO's 2022 Global Education Prize. Critics argue the programs' Western partnerships risk cultural misalignment, but success metrics show participants are 3x more likely to pursue STEM careers. Alsaleh's TED Talk on culturally relevant STEM education has been translated into 22 languages. Her 2023 book Engineering Tomorrow's Leaders (co-authored with MIT professor Lila Khouja) outlines her pedagogical framework, already influencing curricula in UAE and Saudi Arabia.