Darin Madzharov, Founder of the online platform "Ucha.se"
Darin Madzharov is the founder of the online school platform with video lessons "Ucha.se". He was born in Dryanovo and graduated from the National Aprilov High School in Gabrovo with a medal for his excellent grades (6.00). He has a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Electronics and Computer Science from "Jacobs University" (Germany).
The concept of an educational platform for students came about in 2011. Darin's idea is that "Ucha.se" is where pupils can access school lessons in a comprehensible and exciting language. Today, there are over 25 thousand video lessons, quizzes and mind map talks on "Ucha.se". In addition, classes and materials have been viewed above 100 million times by over 1 million registered students, teachers, and parents.
Darin launched an international version of "Ucha.se" in 2020 with his team of more than 300 people - the eduboom platform - now available in Romania (eduboom.ro), Spain (eduboom.es) and Italy (eduboom.it). Eduboom has all learning materials aligned with the curriculum and educational requirements in the countries mentioned above.
Darin Madzharov and the "Ucha.se" platform hold top places and awards in many prestigious rankings, among which: Forbes Bulgaria's 30 Under 30 for 30 leaders under the age of 30; Darik Radio's 40 most inspiring, innovative and courageous people under 40; the Eureka Award for "Best young manager" of 2019; the Site of the Year Special Award for 2018; and the John Atanasoff Presidential Award for a project with a great public contribution.
About your path in education - what were you like as a pupil and a student?
My parents taught me that I had to study constantly, be disciplined and work hard for a good life. And I did just that as a student and as a grown-up. I was very good at math, which developed my logical thinking. I excelled in everything, but it wasn't that I studied so much; I just found ways to reach my goal in each subject. I was also very active in sports during my school years. I first started playing chess in second grade and won several fourth places at national championships and a couple of gold medals at state competitions. Chess helped me develop my logical thinking and taught me how to plan steps ahead. Then, somewhere in the fifth or sixth grade, I switched from chess to football. Again, I trained hard and played in Group B with the men's team by the age of 16 back home in Dryanovo. After becoming a student in Germany, I continued playing football and reached the peak of my football career.
How and when did you come up with the idea for the Ucha.se platform?
I was a PhD student at KU Leuven in Belgium ten years ago. My sister was a student at the time. She was a straight-A student, but she occasionally called and asked me about something and sometimes would repeat the same questions. That's when I started recording videos of my explanations. She told me that they were helping her a lot and that she was even having fun. My inner entrepreneurial spirit wouldn't give me peace, so I asked her to show them to her classmates, who started adding me on Facebook and encouraging me to do more and more... On all kinds of topics. So, in the beginning, I made 300 videos and uploaded them to www.ucha.se. The first version looked very different. At some point, I realized this was my life's passion, stepped aside from my PhD, and went back home to develop Ucha.se professionally.
Today we are more than 300 people. We are developing Ucha.se in Bulgaria and launched the platform in Romania, Spain and Italy 2 years ago. It is an excellent start, and we have a chance to make a world-class Bulgarian educational product.
What people do you attract to your team, and what skillset do you look for the most?
Most importantly, they relate to our mission - improving Bulgaria through better education. Then come the specific skills for the position.
What would your top three priorities be if you were the Minister of Education?
Lots of things, but I'll list the most underrated. I've never heard of failure if a child was brought up in a family with a sense of education as a supreme value. I don't know of a single case, so I would work with the parents and families. They are the most crucial player in the student-teacher-parent trio. Students watch what the adults do and are held to our standards.
Online or traditional schooling- what is the recipe?
In-person traditional schooling, using technology. I can give an example. Students have to look up the new lesson on Ucha.se for their homework, take the quiz and apply what they've learned. Then, on the next day at school, the teacher doesn't retell the lesson but does projects/games with the students. They do practical work, and the teacher observes and helps those who need additional attention. The global trend is that of the teacher as a mentor.
What is a "good student"?
Generally speaking, a good student, including adults, applies what they have learned. I caught myself reading many business books but applying zero of them. So I changed tactics. Therefore, I read fewer books but pulled out a list of ideas I tested without fail. Otherwise, many business books with zero application are fodder for the ego.
We have dedicated this issue to success. What does success mean to you?
It's knowing exactly how you want to live - in detail. Then, to achieve it, to appreciate it and be sincerely grateful.
You have an inspiring talk, "Recipe for Success." where you point out six steps to success. Would you share them with our readers?
I need to remember it. Things are simple - we like to complicate things and inject mystery and magic. We have to find what our field is. We learn, we work, we make mistakes, and we improve. We find good teachers/mentors and bring in a lot of discipline. We take care of our health and loved ones. In time, little by little, we have great chances to achieve our goals, and this is how things happened for me in chess, football, in Ucha.se.
What's next for Ucha.se in 2023?
We have a big task to grow our partner network with hundreds of companies around the country that offer Ucha.se as a social benefit to their employees. The web is gaining a lot of popularity and has enormous potential.
