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Secondary education in Bulgaria

People have long ago realized the importance of education and have created numerous aphorisms dedicated to it. Some Bulgarian folk adages say: “Those who study will prosper” and “Study when you are young so that you might not regret it when you grow old”. What is the state of the Bulgarian secondary education nowadays? What are its advantages and drawbacks and what opportunities does it create for young Bulgarians?
Traditionally, one of the most exciting days of the year related to education is September 15th, the first day of the new school year in Bulgaria when first graders are thrilled to cross the school threshold. This year, the number of first graders in Bulgaria will be some 61,000. Education in Bulgaria is mandatory until the age of 16. In this period, pupils go through several levels of education – pre-school education that encompasses children between the age of 3 and 7 years and elementary education that includes the primary schools from the 1st to the 4th grade and pre-junior high schools from the 5th to the 8th grade.
Attending a kindergarten is not obligatory. However, as of next year, attending a one-year pre-school program is planned to become mandatory for 5-year-olds, which will be in compliance with European practices. Over 95 % of kindergartens in Bulgaria are state-owned but the share of private kindergartens is constantly growing.
Elementary education can be received in state-owned, municipal or private schools. Data shows that by October last year, private comprehensive schools in Bulgaria totalled 68. Data from the National Statistical Institute reveals that as little as 1 per cent of students attend private schools.
Secondary education in Bulgaria embraces students from the 7th or 8th grade up to the 12th grade. It can be received in comprehensive and vocational educational institutions. In order to continue their education in specialized schools, students apply after the 7th or 8th grade, going to admission exams in Bulgarian language and literature, mathematics, humanities, and other subjects depending on the profile of the school. In Bulgaria, there are specialized schools for foreign languages, natural and exact sciences, humanities, sports, arts, etc. There are also technical and professional high-schools upon completion of which young graduates can find a job more easily. Students in comprehensive schools complete their studies by going to a final matriculation exam in Bulgarian language and literature, and a subject of their own choice. For several years now, some Bulgarian universities have started recognizing the validity of the assessments from the obligatory matriculation exams as an admittance criterion.
In the past several years, Bulgaria has been making serious efforts to modernize its educational system. At the end of 2004, a large-scale project for introducing information and communication technologies in Bulgarian schools called “i-class” was launched. In 2007, delegated budgets to schools were introduced, based on the number of students in an institution. Another novelty was the differentiated payment of teachers. At the same time, an optimization of the school network was started, which turned out to be the toughest part of the reforms as it led to closing down several hundred schools in less populated and isolated regions over the past few years. This has caused serious problems among the most vulnerable groups of society that have no opportunity to send their children to schools that are located away from their homes. As of this school year, a new measure will be introduced to cope with this problem, and it will be the full-time education for students from the 1st to the 8th grade in 800 elementary schools in district cities to which children from neighboring villages can travel every day. After the end of the regular classes, students will be kept in schools to work on their homework for the next day, to receive additional help from teachers and to do sports. This measure undertaken by the Education Ministry aims also at reducing the gap between the grades of children in large towns and in small villages. For this purpose, some 4,000 teachers will undergo special training as to how to assist kids in secondary schools to cope with the most difficult material in textbooks. The funding for this initiative will be provided by the largest EU project of the Ministry of Education and Science to the tune of 90 million Euro. As of this school year, the full-time education in all schools will also be introduced for students in the 2nd grade. Schools, however, will have the opportunity to apply for further funding from the EU funds and thus provide the option for all-day school activities also to older students. The programme is entitled “Let’s make school attractive to young people”. The European Commission has allocated 50 million Euro for it. The goal is to make children develop their talents and skills in the school building instead of just wandering aimlessly in the streets after school and spending hours in front of their computers at home.
The Ministry of Education has also planned to introduce a new change to the pattern of school classes this year, with practical activities taking the upper hand over dry theory. Again owing to funds from a EU project, 40,000 high-school students from across the country will be able to start an intern-ship in a company, with their remuneration being sponsored by the education ministry.
Amendments are also planned to be made in the content of textbooks that has been often criticized for being too academic and hard to comprehend by students. By 2013, the new revised textbooks will be prepared. This school year, students will enjoy more vacations, some of them related to the exams for external assessment of students from the 4th to the 7th grade and to matriculation examinations. The cabinet also intends to allocate funds for education and integration of young people who have suspended their studies at one point for various reasons, as well for promoting the studying of Bulgarian language, history and geography by Bulgarian children living outside the country. The cabinet has also planned to allocate 400,000 Euro to assist the education of children with disabilities.