The results of the two most vital secondary education examinations in Bulgaria – the external national evaluation exams after 7^th grade and the matriculation exams after the 12^th grade – were made public last week. These results give food for thought as to the standard of school education in this country. Because a record number of poor marks in mathematics and children’s inability to formulate an answer in open-ended questions at the 7^th grade exam are the main conclusions that can be drawn from the examinations held. The results from the matriculation examination may not be as shocking, yet the Ministry of Education and Science says the results of the compulsory Bulgarian language and literature exam are worse than last year.

The results of the two national examinations were made public during the week when the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences awarded five boys who won prizes at a prestigious prep competition in USA. Bulgarian school students are known to do brilliantly at mathematics, physics or chemistry Olympiads. But they seem to be an exception because this year one in four 7^th graders out of a total of 110,000 children failed the national external evaluation exam.

Maria Amzina has for years been organizing preparatory training programmes for the examinations after the 7^th grade as well as for matriculation exams and she has a comprehensive overview of the level of education at different schools. As she put it, the examination results are no surprise as they do not test the social or general life skills of the children whereas the teaching methods are outdated and only serve to repel students.

“It takes a high degree of literacy, both written and oral. And I dare say our children are not in possession of such a level of literacy. They are incapable of formulating thought in written form or orally. And seeing as the process of learning only focuses on what format the examination will take, schoolteachers have to comply with all requirements and literally have to coach the children. But they realize this serves no purpose and only teaches them how to clear this hurdle.”

At the presentation of the results, the Ministry of Education and Science stated it was ready to alter the examination format but did not say when. Until that time the examinations after 7^th grade will invariably be stressful for children and parents alike. Why? Because the external national evaluation marks are used to apply for specialized secondary schools where competition is stiff. And though the exam may be a test of the knowledge acquired at school, almost all 7^th graders have private tuition.

“Parents in Bulgaria prefer to make assurance double sure so as not to miss a crucial chance – the only one their children will have of being admitted to a good school, something their future hangs on,” explains Daniela, mother of a 7^th grader. “There is nothing wrong in that, what does worry me is that this test of their knowledge is a one-time thing, that the overall development of children is not monitored through the years prior to the examination. What the school must have as its prime task is to give children equal opportunities and an equal start. Regrettably, in Bulgaria that is not so.”

Different surveys conducted among schoolchildren show that they do not have a sense of having learnt things at school that they will need later on and apply in life. “Swotting up” for exams is in fact a ticking bomb: children learn things by heart to sit for the exam and forget everything the very next day. This means that school is churning out people incapable of independent thought, people who can only follow instructions. That is why Maria Amzina says that Bulgarian schools must introduce examinations molded on PISA – the Programme for International Student Assessment of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “These tests should aim to make children functionally literate because people who are literate are difficult to manipulate,” says Amzina but that is just one side of her formula of success:

“The way we work with children must change radically so as to keep them interested, to kindle their curiosity. The role teachers play is vital. They are the living spirit that children can look in the eye and get a sense of their talent. Every child needs a supportive and stimulating environment. What we are doing now is serving everything to children on a platter, making of them good for nothing loafers.”

Unfortunately Maria Amzina’s words seem to be corroborated by facts – Bulgaria is the country with the greatest number of young people who neither work nor study.

English version: Milena Daynova