The full course in mathematics and other STEM disciplines from the global distance education platform Khan Academy will be available to Ukrainian schoolchildren for free. The project for localizing and translating lessons into Ukrainian was launched by KSE Foundation at the initiative of Nazar Drugov, a former schoolboy, now an incoming freshman at Tufts University, who used the platform to prepare for university entrance exams.
“When the power outages and attacks on critical infrastructure started in 2022, I often stayed up at night and used that time to study. However, I used Khan Academy in English, as no complete course was translated into Ukrainian, depriving Ukrainian students of the platform’s extremely rich and structured resources,” says 16-year-old Nazar Drugov, a graduate of the “Bazis” school. With the help of Khan Academy, Nazar prepared for the SAT exam and scored 1590 out of 1600, outperforming 99% of test-takers worldwide. “Together with KSE Foundation, our team, and the support of everyone who cares about the education of Ukrainian schoolchildren, we will change this.”
Everyone can support the localization of STEM lessons. Make your contribution to overcoming the educational losses of students by following this link.
The platform contains over 5,000 videos on mathematics, natural sciences, economics, and computer programming, as well as interactive notes and tests. Currently, a fundraising campaign for $600,000 has been launched to translate and localize the materials into Ukrainian.
Previously raised funds for the initiative allowed the completion of the translation of the basic algebra course and the start of the localization of “Arithmetic” and “Precalculus” levels. This will cover important topics from the school mathematics curriculum and begin preparation for university-level programs.
A team of 39 specialists is involved in the project. Besides Nazar, the team includes Laker Newhouse, an MIT student who helped develop the multivariable calculus course for Khan Academy; Taras Pavlov, a mathematician, expert in educational programs; students from the Kyiv School of Economics, translation specialists, video authors, auditors, and editors.
Thanks to their efforts, Ukrainian students already have access to the “Algebra Basics” course, which consists of 7 fully localized sections covering topics from the Ukrainian school algebra curriculum for grades 6-8.
The strategic goal of the initiative is to provide free access to quality STEM lessons with a personalized approach for all Ukrainian schoolchildren – anywhere and anytime.
For reference.
Khan Academy is an American non-profit organization that develops online educational content. The platform has 165 million registered users worldwide, and a third of US students use it. It is trusted in 190 countries, the platform is translated into over 40 languages and is supported by Google, Bill Gates, and donors from around the world. In addition to helping students, Khan Academy is designed to support teachers and allows parents to monitor their child’s progress.