As former South African President Nelson Mandela once famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

“I’m inspired by Nelson Mandela’s words, and we have seen how education can reduce poverty, boost economic growth and create new opportunities,” said Daiji Yamada, the Chief Executive Officer of SGX-listed education technology solutions provider Alpha DX Group Ltd.

“However, we’ve also witnessed how the modern institutionalised education system has destroyed the environment, killed millions, and created a massive divide among people and society alike. This is because education has become part of the system to maintain the current balance of power and wealth for those who are privileged in the world.”

This is why Alpha DX Group has made it its mission to set learning and education free from the institutionalised system, returning power to the individual learner, he added.

“We’ve created a Digital-Multiverse environment with an integrated ubiquitous learning experience platform that anyone can access, without discrimination. This empowers learners to choose the personalised education they want.”

Having accumulated more than 25 years of experience in corporate restructuring and education, Yamada was appointed in May 2020 as Alpha DX’s Executive Director, handling its day-to-day operations, including fund-raising and business expansion activities. In December that year, he was re-designated the Group’s CEO.

Yamada is also the President of NPO Asnaro Japan, CEO of MasterLingual Academy of Communication, Japan, and Executive Management Advisor for the Yamanashi Gakuin School Corporation.

Listed on SGX Catalist since November 2011 and formerly known as Alpha Energy Holdings Ltd, Alpha DX transformed from an oil and gas company into a learning and education solutions provider in January 2021, through a series of fund-raising and restructuring initiatives.

Led by veterans in technology, education, corporate training and business consulting, Alpha DX provides next-generation, Digital-Multiverse integrated solutions for the learning and education market. 

These offerings enable customers to create immersive, personalised and ubiquitous, as well as multi-dimensional learning and training experiences, which are the building-blocks for the future of education.

Digital-Multiverse is the term used to describe the digitally created multiverse environment, where physical reality and virtual reality co-exist to create multiple dimensional spaces.

Going Digital, Going Multiverse

“The Board recognised the cyclical nature of its oil and gas exploration business, which was vulnerable to changing economic conditions, and decided to diversify into education technology, which is more resilient, and would have a greater potential to achieve long-term growth for the Group,” Yamada pointed out.  

Alpha DX was born of a vision to revolutionalise “the way we learn”, and the “system of education”.

“We offer an entirely new system of education in the Digital-Multiverse environment, made possible by combining traditional physical and digitally enabled platforms with new systems of learning and training,” he added.

“This new platform will overtake not only the centuries-old institutionalised education system, it will also democratise learning for all people, and accelerate the transformation of society.”

According to market intelligence firm HolonIQ, education expenditure is forecast to total US$8 trillion globally by 2025. The worldwide market for edtech is expected to rise from US$89.07 billion in 2020 to US$285.23 billion in 2027, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.1%. 

The pace of digitisation in education is predicted to overtake that of healthcare, primarily due to advancements in this field over the last 10 years, and explosive growth in artificial intelligence, particularly in countries such as China, the US and India.

“Edtech has now evolved into a global phenomenon,” Yamada noted. “The pace was led by the US over the last five years, but now the fastest growth rates in edtech investment are being seen in Asia, led by China and India. Southeast Asia is also catching up - the region is just getting started.”

In fact, COVID-19 has accelerated the growth of remote digital learning across the world, turning it into one of the fastest-growing “blue ocean” market segments today, he noted.

“The pandemic has been a major catalyst in our operating environment. Almost overnight, COVID-19 forced 1.6 billion students and their instructors online, propelling us all into a present that we thought was still years away - this market, which has already been growing at a healthy rate, is now in overdrive, and likely to double previous growth estimates.”

This accelerated expansion is sparked by initial adoption driving future adoption, Yamada added. “Now that learners have gone online, they’re more willing to try other online activities - that’s why this particular genie isn’t going back into its bottle.”

Laying the Foundation

Over the past few months, the Group has been laying the groundwork for its expansion strategies. It has established formal discussions and is finalising agreements for partnerships, joint ventures, acquisitions and projects with corporations, academic institutions and government agencies across the Asia-Pacific region.

In January 2021, Alpha DX announced that, together with the Ministry of Higher and Secondary-Specialized Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, it plans to inject US$50 million into a joint venture to develop the first next-generation university in the country. The university will be fully integrated with the ubiquitous learning platform developed by the Group’s subsidiaries.

Likewise, in September 2021, Alpha DX also acquired Japan-based private higher education institution Invictus Academy (formerly DiDi Academy). Through the agreement, students of the Academy will be able to enrol in courses directly from its overseas partner universities, through a universal learning platform by 2023, without having to leave  Japan.

“With the seeds that have been sown in the past nine months of this year, we look forward to harvesting the fruits of our labour, and delivering sustainable value for our stakeholders,” Yamada said.

Meanwhile, in terms of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, Alpha DX continues to identify and evaluate key areas in its operations to ensure they remain relevant to the Group’s sustainability efforts.

“The Group has continued to approach sustainability with a focus that encompasses comprehensive planning, frameworks and risk mitigation for all present and future operations,” Yamada said. “We’ve put respect for people, their safety, communities, and the environment at the heart of this approach.”

Not surprisingly, there is much to keep this 55-year-old up till the wee hours. “Complacency keeps me awake,” he admitted. “Changes are occurring all around us that can make our skills and competencies obsolete. If we assume the status quo will remain in place, we’re setting ourselves up to be blindsided,” he added.

“We’re in a competitive marketplace and fast-paced business environment, where the necessity of learning new skills, new technologies, and new processes is critical, both for maintaining our current position and/or moving ahead.”

That’s why Yamada remains enthralled by technology advancements in education. 

“I’m thrilled when our solutions play an increasing role in democratising education by spreading affordable, accessible and quality learning in our operating markets. My passion is to find new approaches to effectively incorporate technology into education,” he said.

He also has this advice for his staff: Never fail to cultivate a spirit of curiosity. “When we are curious with others, we learn, we collaborate, and we innovate,” he pointed out.

“Otherwise we tend to judge, blame, and even shame without realising it. This creates conflict and frustration, narrows perspectives and opportunities. It prohibits collaboration, innovation, and understanding. Curiosity gives us a framework in which we can grow, excel and succeed.”


Alpha DX Group Ltd

Listed on SGX, Alpha DX is one of the region’s leading learning solution companies. Led by veterans in Technology, Education, Corporate Training and Business Consultancy, Alpha DX provides next-generation Expanded Reality (XR) integrated solutions in the learning and education market that allow customers to create engaging, fully immersive, and super-enhanced learning and training experiences of the future.

The company website is: www.alpha-dx.com.sg

Click here for the company's StockFacts page.

For the six months ended 30 June 2021 financial results, click here.

 

About kopi-C: the Company brew

Text: Jennifer Tan-Stanisic
Photo: Company file

kopi-C is a regular column on the SGX Research website that features C-level executives of leading companies listed on Singapore Exchange. These interviews are profiles of senior management aimed at helping investors better understand the individuals who run these corporations.

For previous editions of kopi-C: the Company brew, please click here.  

For more information, or if you would like your senior executives to be featured on SGX Market Dialogues, please send suggestions to jennifer.t@sgx.com.