The crisis within the educational system topic has been going on for years in Bulgaria, in the context of its total mismatch with the needs of the labor market, alongside the badly needed urgent reform. At the same time different international polls throw Bulgarian students at the bottom of their rankings on a regular basis. We will give as an example one of the latest researches of this kind, ordered by the EC. It says that Bulgarian kids are the most illiterate ones across Europe. Some 44 percent didn’t make it, as far as their math, reading and natural sciences tests were concerned. However, it all hasn’t been shocking enough for our politicians, obviously, as the latter owe a lot to Bulgarian students due to the postponing of the educational reform in the course of more than a couple of decades now. Today’s kids study under an educational law, adopted back in 1991 – it certainly cannot meet the 21 century business criteria. The change is only just starting to happen now. A new draft bill on school and preschool education is a fact and it is expected to be adopted at second reading in parliament in June at the latest, entering into force for the 2016 – 2017 school year. It sets for the first time criteria for up-to-date skills, required by the students – entrepreneurship, initiative, digital competence, teamwork abilities, creative thinking etc. Career orientation is envisaged to begin as early as the first grade. “It is essential for the children to be informed on the different occupations from a very early age, in order for those to be able to choose their professional path,” says Milena Damyanova, the draft bill’s importer and chair of the Education and Science Committee with Parliament. The high school stage of education will be divided in two, in order to respond to the requirement for market-oriented education. All schools will be able to develop their programs for the second stage /the11th and 12^th grades/ together with Bulgarian business representatives and universities. So, dual education is now regulated by the law and not only implemented under separate projects as it used to be. Thus business will be able to participate actively in the development of school education via a new initiative – public councils. Those will be created with each school, including also municipal representatives and parents.

“The public council is the institution, approving the strategy for a concrete school’s development,” Mrs. Damyanova explains. “It is the one that envisages a statement on certain budget parameters, approving school programs, which will be developed and affirmed, regarding the so-called compulsory and free choice classes. It will accord the profiles and professions within the second stage of the high school period – the 11^th and 12^th grades.”

The introduction of an external assessment of education quality is also envisaged, which will influence the granting of additional funding to schools and kindergartens. However, NGO and business representatives wouldn’t hide their concerns:

“It is important to think over what exactly we are going to evaluate. When we talk about skills, are we going to continue assessing the quantity of lessons taught or shall we try to assess adequately the skills we want these kids to develop?,” asks Mrs. Natalia Miteva from the America for Bulgaria Foundation. “Especially if the assessment is linked to a funding formula and the added value – then it is essential to assess something different than what it is right now… Because the currently existing external evaluations are not a good mechanism for assessment of the quality of teaching.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev