Bulgaria may soon be left without science teachers, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce warns. The fewest people want to study these majors at universities, reports bTV.
The trend remains that, where there is a lack of qualified personnel, the positions will be filled by pensioners, but how many will be will become clear after the start of the new school year, comments from the Ministry of Education.
After 36 years as a primary school teacher, Neli Hristova is still eagerly awaiting the first day of school.
“I don't see it as a profession that is an obligation for me, I see it as a favorite pastime“, says Neli Hristova, a primary school teacher.
Over ten candidates are currently competing for the position of primary school teacher. For a long time, the specialty has been the most preferred by students, future teachers.
„Is money an incentive? Yes. The incentive is the opportunity to easily be a student of pedagogy, just to have graduated from some higher education, and then something very scary happens for future generations“, says Neli Hristova.
Only after September 15 will it become clear how many retired mathematics, physics and chemistry teachers there are in the Vratsa region, say the RBO and for now they are refraining from commenting.
Although there are no problems in this school, because it is preferred, the crisis is on the horizon, says the director.
“Usually for the natural and mathematical sciences, there are very few candidates, we still find them, there are a few, but ultimately this also affects the selection, it affects the quality that we will offer to our students“, says Krasimir Bogdanov, director of the SU “Hristo Botev“ – Vratsa.
The fears are that in a few years there will be no one to replace the retiring specialists in these subjects.
According to Tsvetana Paralyuzova, a mathematician with 40 years of experience, who is officially out of the system, but she is called to replace because there is no one, the reasons for the outflow are key.
„First, students are not like they used to be, order and discipline are required, they have rights, we hardly have any rights. Money cannot follow the student. The other thing that needs to change - some study at one publishing house, others at another publishing house“, says Tsvetana Paralyuzova.
There is also a tendency for young mathematicians to leave school after a few years and find fulfillment in higher-paying and less stressful professions.