How did the history of the European College begin?
— The dream of creating a private school belongs to our mother, an educator, Tetyana Ostafiychuk. In 2002, it was one of the first private schools in Kyiv. My sister and I joined the school’s construction 10 years ago, and since then it has become our family business. Over the years, we have learned and developed a lot, the number of students has increased from 100 to 560. Two kindergartens for 120 children were opened. This year, the EC distance education center was created, where students from different parts of the world study. By the way, teachers at the distance education center also teach from different parts of the planet.
What motivated the family of educators to open an alternative educational institution (the European example, the disadvantages of traditional educational institutions, the inability to be creative, etc.)?
We really wanted to create a future with the right values in the post-Soviet space. A school that would change children’s lives for the better, that would have a soul, inspire optimism, arouse admiration and a desire to be involved. We teach children to be truly limitless, to consider any goal achievable, regardless of the challenges that stand in the way, to make mistakes, but never give up.
Collegium quite ambitiously declares itself to be a “visual example of the Ukrainian educational miracle.” What are your advantages?
— Collegium is an unusual school — it is more of a philosophy. We have traveled the world for years, collecting the experience of world educational institutions and companies to create our unique DNA. Although we are over 18 years old, we are constantly changing and improving. EK was included in the list of the most innovative schools in the world according to Microsoft, our school has unique educational programs and projects, scientific tutoring, mixed lessons, case days, lessons of happiness and social responsibility.
In addition to the coolest teachers and trainers, the team includes a whole Board of Directors, a psychological service, an HR service, a school counselor, a customer experience manager, a call center, more than 200 inspired creative specialists in total. We have students who want to work at their school in the future – and that says it all.
How is the education system at EC structured?
— In 2018, our school was recognized as the smartest private school in Ukraine by the average score of the external examinations (179.31), so EC is a high level of knowledge + European values. Starting from the age of three and until graduation, we work on the trajectory of success of each child. When reasonable demands are combined with a friendly atmosphere, there is an opportunity to reveal the student’s potential and self-confidence. The system is structured so that academically gifted children do not lose motivation, feel support for all their hobbies and dreams, and can receive scholarships and grants at their own school and at foreign universities.
Our graduates can be found at the best universities in the world, we are very proud of them. In addition to high academic achievements and fluency in foreign languages, each of them has the ability to study independently and has their own superpower, which they know how to use aptly. So the graduates of the college will become whoever they want!
What abilities will distinguish your student from graduates of other domestic educational institutions – public and private?
— Our graduates can be found in the best universities in the world, we are very proud of them. In addition to high academic achievements and fluency in foreign languages, each of them has the ability to study independently and has their own superpower, which they know how to use aptly. So the graduates of the college will become whoever they want!
In what direction does the European College plan to develop in the near future? What has already been done and what is planned?
— In 2015, the school received the status of a Cambridge English Exam Preparation Centre. And already in 2019, the European College received the TOP Partner Appreciation Award from Cambridge Assessment English, which confirms the high level of language competence of our students and successful preparation for the language exams of the University of Cambridge.
The main event of this year is the opening of a new school building with an area of 7,000 sq. m, which is already called the “educational Google” due to the unusual space for an educational institution.
We hope that next year, quarantine restrictions will not prevent us from opening Rooftop and the Educational Hub, holding the All-Ukrainian Intellectual Competition – “Ukrainiada” and finally opening the doors of the college to a wider circle of people.
Thanks to the new realities of quarantine life and the opening of the Distance Education Center, we are now not limited by walls and, by combining digital and real space into a single educational environment, we will finally be able to teach the necessary limited number of students.
