Innopolis opens kindergarten and school

Tatarstan-based international school Innopolis earlier in the day opened a kindergarten for 225 and an Innopolis campus school.

Innopolis mayor Yegor Ivanov called the opening a momentous event in the campus’ history.

“A town gets truly filled with life when it has families. This both means jobs and a strong infrastructure for children need to be in place. Innopolis has many families already, both from Russia regions and from abroad,” he said. “It is largely a unique kindergarten that will operate based on the British education system, which is the result of the work of many people: builders, teachers, local auhotiries and Rustam Minnikhanov personally,” he commented.

“There are about 100 children at Innopolis. There are very many parents with children under three. The current infrastructure implies five thousand tenants,” he noted.

At the kindergarten opening ceremony, acting Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov noted well-trained childcare specialists from Alabuga International School were employed to work with the children.

“We set the bar high. The new kindergarten and school are compliant with the latest requirements. People will want to move to Innopolis, so that their children get a good education. There facilities, including the university, need to become a magnet,” he stressed.

Innopolis international school curator David O’Brien in his welcoming remarks thanked Rustam Minnikhanov for support and attention to improving education in Tatarstan.

“Tatarstan is an attractive place for international companies’ investments. Besides everything else, investors here can find the opportunity to provide international education for their employees, and their families and children,” he stated.

Tatarstan Education Minister Roman Shaikhutdinov told reporters that the kindergarten’s space was 5.6 thousand square metres and that 16 children would go there.

“Things in the campus are humming, work is in progress, the special economic zone’s first advisory board has held its first meeting. Russian Economic Development Ministry’s board of experts, we expect, will in the near future approve the first five tenants,” the minister assured those gathered.

While talking to journalists, Innopolis school manager Marina Kutieva said children aged 3 to 5 would be taught with the help of the British elementary education curriculum, while ones aged above five would study according to the British school curriculum.

“Lessons will be held in English, which is why the children will shortly learn to understand the language. The compulsory curriculum will be taught between 9 am and 3 pm in English, after 3 pm optional courses will be taught in Russian. The Tatar language will be taught as well. The main language for communication will be English, though,” she explained.