The school can motivate students to pursue engineering majors - if…?

Iryna Zhdanova, founder of the Churyumov Science Lyceum/Boarding School, PhD in History

Sciences and mathematics can be studied in depth starting from the first grade. Online as well. This has been proven in practice. At the Churyumov Science Lyceum/Boarding School, astronomy and physics are taught as separate subjects from the first grade. What can I say? It sounds obvious. Much depends on the "clients" - parents and the state.

The first month of the academic year is now behind us. So I will share my first reflections on the 2025/2026 school year, and also on the recent statement by Oksen Lisovyi regarding the responsibility of schools for engineering education.

This year, we welcomed motivated and active children who truly enjoy learning. Since I mostly communicate with the teaching team, I can confidently say that the teachers are thrilled. Because this is about teacher motivation: going into the classroom and feeling heard. Feeling needed not as a scapegoat burdened with blame, but as a teacher.

Now, more specifically, about the "ifs."

The first "if."

Sciences and mathematics (as well as other subjects) can be studied in depth when there is a demand from clients - parents and the state. They are the clients of educational services. Such parents exist. And such children, too. Does the state currently demand these services? My personal answer is - NO. The Minister stated that schools are responsible for motivating students toward engineering majors. That is true, but it is also a kind of post-truth. The first link in this chain is the client.

The second "if."

If business processes are properly structured. Yes, I mean it. Whether and what kind of teachers, children, and parents come to your school also depends on business processes. They must be innovative and transparent, with a human-centered approach. If parents constantly troll the vice-principal or teachers in chat groups, it is nearly impossible to build effective learning. In fact - impossible. Children hear what their parents say. Distrust is transmitted to them.

Over my seven years of running the school, we have seen all kinds of situations. Even those who at first expected us to inflate grades and entertain children eventually left for another school with gratitude. I realized that from the very first day after signing the contract, it is necessary to speak openly and honestly with parents. To provide a clear plan, detailed answers to questions, and explain our approaches. Abandoning the traditional class-lesson system, teaching based on Barbara Oakley’s methodology - these are not easy for everyone to accept.

The same applies, separately, to teachers. Especially newcomers. How difficult it is for them after the "New Ukrainian School" (NUS) and the state school system! It is easier with tutors. What is needed? From the outset - transparently discuss and clearly set KPIs. Monitor daily work. Teachers are a community of very responsible people. Therefore, conversations must not only be about vision and values. Those are important, too. But not only about the "why."

What exactly and how it should be done. Short trainings with even shorter and very simple instructions for each process.

And constant reflection. With students. With teachers. With parents. Within the administration team.

This is what I learned from civic engagement. What I studied in Israel. And what I can apply directly to the school I founded. Where the clients are parents. And, to some extent, the state.

The third "if" - the key one.

TRUST.

If the state, to which I faithfully pay taxes and fulfill my obligations, does not trust me - I can still work, because the law allows it. I was one of the authors of the article on in-depth study of natural sciences and mathematics, along with a team of principals from science-and-math schools and researchers. Therefore, I know well that all the legal tools for organizing such education exist. Does the state currently support this direction? No. The NUS is supported. Specialized science-focused education - no.

Even if parents demand in-depth science and mathematics education, and even if business processes are in place - without trust, no school will work effectively. Because without a safe and friendly environment for children, parents, teachers, and the team, the result will be endless tsunamis and earthquakes. Education already has enough of war.

Building trust between parents, students, and teachers is, perhaps, the founder’s primary task. Now, let us place local education authorities or the state itself in the role of "founder." What do we have? A catastrophe in public schools. To my great regret. If the founder is a university (as in the Ukrainian Physics and Mathematics Lyceum, UFML) or a capable local community, that is another story. But how many such state-run science-and-math schools still survive in Ukrainian education thanks to superhuman efforts?!! What is their reach? How do non-Olympiad students study there?!

Back to trust. I will share one case from our practice. Every week, we play an online game with students called "Candle." We gather and take turns naming three things we liked most during the week. One of them is false. Everyone then cheerfully discusses which one is fake. They learn to constructively critique and analyze each other’s statements. For the administration, this is an opportunity to receive a kind of technical brief from our students - on what exactly needs improvement.

Call it child-centeredness, or "objectivity" when presenting at forums and conferences, if you like. Just not under the spotlights during wartime. Because this is deeply demotivating for those working directly with students and parents. Without honest dialogue and response, there can be no expectation of trust. [Something the Ministry of Education and Science still does not seem to grasp.]

I am convinced: without these three factors, there will be no natural science and mathematics education. Everything else - classrooms, equipment, textbooks - is extremely important. But not sufficient, in my opinion. They will remain lifeless without a living client, structured business processes, and trust.