Former Ministry of Education Member Turned Master Franchisee Brings Mathnasium to Saudi Arabia

Asma Aldahlawi, CEO and Center Director of Al Olaya Mathnasium Center, understands the importance of math and how it can change the way someone perceives the world. As former head of the gifted education administration and member of the ministry of education, Aldahlawi always prioritized her own children’s math education. After enrolling her two children in Mathnasium virtually for six months, she witnessed the positive impact it was having and fell in love with the brand’s teaching methodology.

“When my kids were using Mathnasium, I knew exactly what their strong skills were and what skills they needed support with,” explained Aldahlawi. “It really impressed me with how clear the feedback was.” 

This inspired her to introduce Mathnasium, the math-only tutoring franchise with over 1,100 units, to Saudi Arabia to ensure her community had access to high quality math instruction. She soon became the brand’s master franchisee for Saudi Arabia, giving her the power to recruit additional franchisees in her area and to contribute to the growth of the brand.

The Importance of Personalized Instruction

Aldahlawi herself is a talented mathematician who has worked with bright children for over 20 years and understands how important mathematics is to our everyday lives. However, the way each child learns math is different, so an individualized approach to teaching and learning is best. Aldahlawi found this to be true before her discovery of Mathnasium. To help one of her children grow in their math skills, she worked with him for 20 minutes every day. She noticed how quickly he was improving, and his newfound ability was recognized with a scholarship offer by the Saudi Arabian government. 

“Other people asked me what I was doing to help my son improve so much with his understanding of math,” Aldahlawi explained. However, she knew she was not able to tutor all of the children in her community on her own, so instead, she searched for an alternative that still offered a personalized approach. 

Bringing Mathnasium to Saudi Arabia

“I looked around for the best math center for the families in my community who wanted more support for their children. Then I found Mathnasium and tried it virtually with my children for six months, sitting with my kids every morning to see what they had learned and how it was being taught. I was really impressed and decided this is what my community needed,” Aldahlawi said. 

Mathnasium had the personalized learning methodology that she had been looking for, and this individualized approach started to build self-esteem in her kids in impressive and unexpected ways. “I saw my kids becoming more confident in their abilities,” said Aldahlawi. “Mathnasium’s methods give students the room to learn and be more independent, and that independence is what builds the students’ self confidence.”

Aldahlawi’s role as master franchisee not only has a positive impact on the brand, but also on her country. Her Mathnasium center has been up and running for about two years now, and Aldahlawi has worked hard to align her program to the goals of her country. “Saudi Arabia as a country has a clear vision of where we want to be by 2030 in terms of education, tourism and various other aspects of the country,” she said. “Everyone needs to have that same vision, so I have aligned my program to meet these goals. This is how I am making a positive imprint and doing my best to make my country a better place.”

How Mathnasium Supports Franchisees

While Aldahlawi had an extensive background in math, franchising is a fairly new experience for her. Luckily, Mathnasium offers all the support she needs to be successful. She meets with a team every week and they help her organize even the smallest details behind the business. Last July, she was able to visit the U.S. for three weeks of training and to visit eight other Mathnasium centers. 

Now, what Aldahlawi is giving her students through Mathnasium is more than just math instruction. “I studied mathematics and from early on, I could see that math changes lives,” she explained. “It changes the way you think; it makes you a problem solver. It expands your horizons. It helps you make better decisions in life, inside and outside of the classroom. Mathnasium aligns perfectly with this way of thinking.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit 1851franchise.com/mathnasium/info