The company carried out repairs in a unique educational center. We decided to visit Mega Center to evaluate the work and at the same time find out what children are taught here. Will it be an alternative to gadgets and can it be done, for example, for children with autism?

Boutiques with bare walls and floor and even without screed are issued to tenants of Mega. The organizers of the project had the task to make this place beautiful and functional, so that the center would appeal to both children and adults. A sketch of the project was drawn and the country's leading construction company sponsored the implementation of bold ideas.

The opening of the center took place on December 16, 2017. Children from 3 to 14 years old can study here. For example, kids from 3 to 4 years old study the “Inventor” course, from 5 to 7 years they get engineering skills and develop speech by learning such terms as “Thrust”, “Axis”, “Gear”. Children from 9 years old they can study programming and robotics and write codes.

Despite the short period of work, the children involved in the center have already demonstrated success. The center team won three rounds in the Battle of Robots at the Science Festival at Nazarbayev University.

According to Assel Kopeyeva, the director of the Center, these classes are an excellent alternative to smartphones, because more skills and competences are being developed here. Of course, someone may disagree and think that it is better to buy a Lego and the child will do everything at home, but you should not forget that certified teachers work here. In addition, what is important is the socialization of the individual characteristics. Children learn to communicate with their peers, find friends, which is very important in the future for personal development.

- Some parents bring children with autism and do not tell about it. I want to say that our teachers are not doctors and correctional psychologists, these children are immediately recognisable and of course, it’s difficult for them to work in groups, but in the play zone they can play with pleasure. In addition to the Lego Education program, Darmen Sadvakasov’s Chess Academy operates at the Center. Children from 5 years old can study here, and in some cases even from four.

The center is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 10 pm. However, as our respondent admits, the main stream falls on weekends, when parents come for shopping. I want to believe that fathers and mothers will pay more attention to additional education in the future.