Computer science teacher Oleksandr Zhuk from Zaporizhzhia became one of nine regional winners of the prestigious Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Awards in the Europe category. This is the first victory for a Ukrainian teacher in the seven-year history of this competition. Oleksandr Zhuk, who works at the Dzherelo Special Boarding School in Zaporizhzhia, was recognized for his significant contribution to the development of education and assistance to children with special needs, including hearing impairments, musculoskeletal disorders and Down syndrome.
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Oleksandr has extensive experience in education, having worked at a school for 15 years. He is the winner of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine 2018 and is included in the list of the 50 best teachers in the world according to the Global Teacher Prize. In 2020, he won a grant from the World Bank and opened a STEM lab, which was unfortunately destroyed during the war. His projects, which include traveling with students and participating in various events, are in great demand and provide students with the opportunity to develop outside the classroom.
This year, Oleksandr Zhuk was one of nine regional winners among more than 5,000 applicants from 101 countries. For his victory, he will receive a set of books for the classroom worth £500, an honorary cup, and will be mentioned in the new Cambridge textbooks that will be available in November 2025. The global winner will be chosen by voting until April 30, 2025, and the results will be announced on May 21, 2025.
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