After years of insistence from the Sofia Municipality, the proposal to change the model of nurseries, including the requirements for nurses in nurseries, received first parliamentary support. The Education and Science Committee of the National Assembly supported at first reading a bill that provides that nurseries will be under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education and Science, and not the Ministry of Health.
The bill was supported in the Education and Science Committee of the National Assembly by the Deputy Mayor for Education of the Sofia Municipality Desislava Zhelyazkova, representatives of UNICEF and directors of kindergartens in Sofia. They also expressed their readiness to assist in refining the texts between readings.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health presented for the first time an interpretation of the current regulations, according to which the requirement for a nurse is at the level of a childcare facility, and not at the level of a group. This provides an opportunity for a reaction/more options for solutions in the conditions of the current staffing crisis for nurses. However, the interpretation does not provide answers to a number of practical questions - who appoints the nurses, where the funds for their remuneration come from and how the related organizational and financial relations are regulated. That is why the change in the law remains the only permanent solution to the problem.
There are currently 260 nursery groups operating in Sofia, for which 520 nurses are required according to the current requirements. However, 364 have been appointed to them. With these requirements, 78 nursery groups are at risk of closure, which affects 1,716 children already admitted.
It is precisely because of this risk that the Sofia Municipality has repeatedly raised the issue with the state and insisted on changing the regulatory framework. The municipality has repeatedly sent proposals to the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Science and has raised the problem with the National Assembly. The proposals have also been discussed with professional organizations and those working in the system.
The change is necessary not only because of the current shortage. The staffing problem is long-term, since more than half - over 180 nurses in kindergartens - are over 62 years old, and only 35 are under 35. The shortage of nurses is also a problem for the entire healthcare system – hospitals, polyclinics and other health structures.
Therefore, Sofia Municipality insists on a model that corresponds to the real human resources, without questioning the medical care for children. The proposal is that nurses focus on medical monitoring, prevention and health care, and that educators and early childhood development specialists take over the daily activities and activities for the development of children.
This approach is supported by the Bulgarian Medical Union, the Sofia Medical College and the Bulgarian Pediatric Association. The three organizations support the participation of various specialists in the care of children, with the nurse retaining her role in medical monitoring and health care.
The proposal to change the requirement for nurses is part of the broader position of Sofia Municipality for reform in the organization of nursery care. The municipality insists that nurseries and nursery groups be transferred to the system of the Ministry of Education and Science, so that the care of children from 0 to 7 years old is organized as a single system and the European Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care is implemented.
At this stage, Sofia Municipality is taking the necessary actions to prevent the closure of nursery groups and to preserve the places of already accepted children. However, this is a temporary solution until the regulatory framework is changed.
Today's decision of the Education and Science Committee is an important result of the consistent work and insistence of Sofia Municipality. It is a step towards solving a problem that does not affect only Sofia. Without the necessary legislative changes, the same crisis will sooner or later affect other cities in the country. The proposal is also to be considered in the plenary hall of the National Assembly.
The Sofia Municipality will continue to insist that the change be carried out to the end, so that the requirements correspond to the actual staff resources and guarantee a sustainable place for each accepted child.