Mission

Our mission is to ensure universal access to quality, holistic education for children across Ethiopia. We achieve this by building and deploying a dynamic, technology-enabled learning ecosystem that seamlessly blends in-person and virtual instruction. Through our customized Learning Management System (LMS), we deliver a rich, blended curriculum—integrating core subjects like math, English, and reading from both Ethiopian and US educational traditions—to students anywhere, regardless of location.

Vision

Our vision is to create a suitable learning environment for children in Ethiopia through the integration of a Learning Management System (LMS), facilitating both in-person and virtual educational experiences. This approach will enable them to learn math, English—drawing from both Ethiopian and US curricula—reading, as well as other subjects, while developing their personal, social, linguistic, and intellectual capacities to their full potential.

 Short Biography of  Professor

Abdulkadir Hassen

Abdulkadir Hassen was born in Jara, East Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, where he completed his elementary school. He attended Ginner High School (9th and 10th grades) and Batu High School (11th and 12th grades). He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, in 1984 and 1987, respectively. In 1991, he was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, USA, which he successfully completed in 1996. That same year, he joined Rowan University, where he has been actively engaged in teaching and research. He has served as a Full Professor of Mathematics at Rowan since 2009.

Abdulkadir Hassen has been deeply committed to supporting educational institutions at all levels, from elementary schools to universities. His contributions include donating textbooks and other educational materials, as well as providing financial assistance to enable students from low-income families to attend high school and college.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck his hometown of Jara, Bale, Abdulkadir organized a successful fundraising campaign, rallying support from individuals originally from Jara and surrounding areas. The funds were used to supply local health centers with essential medical equipment, sanitary supplies, masks, and water tanks with a capacity of up to 20,000 liters.

In addition to his personal efforts, Abdulkadir has worked to advocate for better facilities and educational infrastructure in Jara, including lobbying for the proper equipping of the newly built medical school and a second high school in the area.

Abdulkadir is also the co-founder of Wabe Ethiopia Integrated Development Association (WEIDA), a certified organization dedicated to promoting development in the East Bale Zone of Oromia Region. WEIDA’s focus areas include education, water resource development, agriculture, healthcare, investment and networking, as well as tourism and culture. One of its key ongoing initiatives is improving the quality of education in East Bale high schools by providing on-site professional development training for teachers in science, mathematics, and languages. Over the past four years, WEIDA has raised funds to purchase textbooks for 20 high schools and organized numerous teacher training sessions.

Furthermore, Abdulkadir co-founded the Hiko-Hora Charitable Organization (HHCO), a family-funded and operated nonprofit dedicated to supporting orphans and children from low-income families by providing school supplies and financial assistance to their families. HHCO is now officially registered with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice. Its mission extends beyond education to include improving healthcare services and creating job opportunities in the region.

Abdulkadir also played a key role in co-founding the Ph.D. program in Mathematics at Addis Ababa University (AAU) in 2010. Since its inception, he has lectured at AAU every summer and served as an external advisor to several other Ethiopian universities. To date, he has supervised five Ph.D. students, with the first graduating in 2016 and the most recent in 2020. In addition, he has donated books and teaching materials to various institutions, including AAU, Adama Science and Technology University, and Mada Walabu University.

Since April 2023, Abdulkadir has been serving as a member of the International Advisory Board for Kotebe University of Education (KUE) — the only public university in Ethiopia focused exclusively on education and educational research. As a member of the board, he has helped organize training programs for both administrators and faculty, and the board meets regularly to explore ways to enhance teacher preparation and educational quality.

Currently, he is the coordinator of the mathematics course for the Shagar Institute of Technology (SIT), Koye Feche, Oromia, Ethiopia, and is teaching Calculus courses online as well as visiting the Campus of SIT. His passion and commitment to provide quality education to students of Ethiopia have led him to engage many mathematicians in Ethiopia as well as in the United States to make them participate in teaching as well as become PhD advisors. 

He is the co-chair of the organizing committee of the conference entitled “75 Years of Mathematical Legacy at Addis Ababa University”, held on December 29 and 30, 2025, at the College of Natural and Computational Science at Arat Kilo. As a member of this committee, he also played a key role not only in editing but also in raising funds for the publication of the Commemorative Magazine, highlighting the achievements, the spirit of collaborations, and the commitments of the faculty of mathematics, the year that has persevered through challenges and triumphs alike to make a lasting impact. The details of the programs and the link to the Commemorative Magazine can be found at https://aau-math-global.vercel.app/. 

His latest project takes him to the creation of Jara Education (https://learn.jaraeducation.net/), a learning management system (LMS) to ensure universal access to quality, holistic education for children across Ethiopia. He is currently working with the Oromia Education Bureau (OEB) to make the website available for students in Oromia with teaching materials provided by the OEB.