And the enrollment of first-graders is currently continuing. This was stated by the Minister of Education and Science, Krasimir Valchev, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio. According to him, the first bell is expected to ring for about 57,000 children and added that this is less than in previous years, but is a projection of general demographic trends.
He said that the total number of students from grades 1 to 12 in the new school year will be about 716,000.
„Fortunately, we also have positive changes when we talk about demography - the tendency for external migration is decreasing, a greater proportion of children of Roma origin are included in education, more of them graduate and Eurostat has reported it“, the minister noted.
According to him, the good news is that in recent years we have had an increase in pedagogical specialists who are not teachers, but provide support to students - mostly resource teachers, speech therapists, psychologists, pedagogical advisors. “We have expanded the full-time training organization and between 11,000 and 12,000 teachers are engaged in it annually to carry out this activity“, said Minister Krasimir Valchev.
ON THE REPAIRS IN SCHOOLS
This year, more repairs are being made in the summer and nearly 1,500 schools and kindergartens were the subject of repair activities because we had more funds. Projects for building a modern STEM environment are being implemented in all schools - these are the so-called STEM centers, science classrooms, separated into one complete complex, said Minister Krasimir Valchev.
He announced that under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan, 50 schools are being completely renovated. Student and student dormitories are also being renovated. We also have a program for the construction and extension of schools and kindergartens. The goal for schools is to switch to a single-shift training regime, and for kindergartens - to overcome the shortage of places.
We have a program for the construction and repair of gyms and sports fields in schools.
About 250 school repairs will not be completed, but some of them are already being completed today and this figure is approximate. 22 schools will start the school year in other buildings, and some of them, even in three buildings, but we have helped everyone to have a place to start the new school year, the minister explained.
He said that there is currently a shortage of places in student dormitories, because 30 dormitories are being renovated, but there is no way to improve the material and technical base without renovations.
ON THE IDEA OF NOT STUDYING IN TWO SHIFTS AND STARTING SCHOOL HOURS LATER
The main prerequisite for starting school later is not to study in two shifts in schools. Eight years ago, when we started to implement this goal and reduce the number of two-shift schools, there were 360 of these schools. Now there are 226, and when we implement the program, they will decrease to 180. This is the second program for construction and extension, and construction of schools, said Minister Krasimir Valchev.
According to him, the number of schools with a two-shift regime also decreased with the regulation of admission. Studies show that if students get up later, their motivation for learning and their educational results improve, the minister noted.
The biggest problem is in Sofia and over 80 schools have a two-shift regime. There is a lack of terrain, but we are working to have schools built. However, the problem will be most difficult to solve in Sofia. I called on schools to talk to parents and teaching staff about whether it is possible to start school later, but this is not possible where there is two-shift education. Some of the remaining schools that do not have two-shift teaching have made decisions to start classes later, explained Minister Valchev.
ALL CURRICULUMS ARE OPEN FOR CHANGE
We have opened all curricula for change, with several basic guidelines. One of them is to optimize and free up time for teachers and students to form skills, because they rush through the material and thus reproduce the culture of learning, said Minister Krasimir Valchev once again.
He explained that the other reform with the curricula is to increase the educational function in all subjects and to make the programs more framework and easier.
We will soon propose visions for all curricula for discussion, the Minister of Education announced.
ON THE BAN ON MOBILE PHONES IN SCHOOL
We also currently have a ban on the use of mobile phones in class. Unfortunately, some students use them and cannot be disciplined. This is because our system of sanctions is such that it forces teachers to refrain from punishing students, said Minister Krasimir Valchev.
He explained that the changes to the Preschool and School Education Act provide that mobile phones can be used for educational purposes, in medical needs and for other emergencies, but in general they lead to students becoming addicted to the screens of mobile devices.
ON THE SUBJECT "VIRTUES AND RELIGIONS"
With the subject "Virtues and Religions" we offer a part on upbringing, and religion will not be mandatory. Unfortunately, what I see is that some liberal organizations continue to wage an ideological battle with religion. And currently we have religion in Bulgarian schools - as an optional subject, and we plan to expand access to it - to offer it in every school, but not to make it mandatory, Minister Krasimir Valchev once again explained the planned change.
"I categorically say again that no child will be forced, against his will, to study religion. But we will have one hour for good upbringing, which will include elements of religion. And currently children are studying religion - they are learning about religious holidays, and they are studying religion in a cultural and historical sense," said the Minister of Education. He added that such education is also available in other European countries.
When asked about the sanctions for students for poor discipline, Minister Valchev said that the Ministry of Education and Science has not given up on these measures, but only on the assessment for discipline. It is a powerful tool, but it also has negative sides. One union strongly insisted on it, and the other was against the discipline assessment, "because it can stigmatize a child and demotivate him", the minister explained. He said that it is proposed to increase the sanctions and make them easier to impose. But there will be more mild sanctions - for example, a warning for moving to another class.
ON THE INTEGRATED EXAMS FROM THE NATIONAL EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
When asked whether private lessons will increase because of the integral exams from the national external assessment, Minister Krasimir Valchev said that there are two main reasons for private lessons. The first of them is that parents want to give their children an advantage when applying for admission to a better school or a better university. The second reason is that there are accumulated deficits that teachers are unable to compensate for in students. Parents see them and those responsible for them do not want their children to have these deficiencies. When we talk about the exam after the seventh grade, the first reason dominates.
The math exam remains the same, but it will require basic concepts from the natural sciences - what is power, voltage, acidity, watt, kilowatt-hour, volt or pH. These are practical things that need to be known, but definitions will not be required, not a single physical law or a single chemical formula will be required, the Minister of Education assured.
Our goal is for students to learn the basics with understanding and I want parents to see these tasks that we have published. By the end of the month, there will be a whole directory on the MES website and it will be seen that these are easy tasks and there is no point in private lessons, he added.