Bulgarian teachers do not want to become guardians of students' mobile phones. This was stated in “Face to Face“ by Julian Petrov, chairman of the “Education“ Trade Union at the “Podkrepa“ Trade Union. The reason for the conversation was the upcoming legal change, which is expected to expand the ban on the use of phones not only in classrooms, but also in the corridors and common areas of schools, bTV reports.
According to Petrov, although the Ministry of Education is planning clear rules, currently each school is working out its own order, which leads to chaos and uneven application of the restrictions. “Now about 35% of schools have some kind of regime for phones. Teachers cannot be engaged to collect and guard the devices – "it is not their duty," the unionist said.
He stressed that mobile devices are used primarily for personal purposes, not for learning, and pointed out the need for a clear national strategy to save students from phone addiction without placing an additional burden on teachers. "Let the Ministry lead a campaign and propose a unified model, and not have each school come up with its own rules," Petrov insisted.
The union appeals to parents to take their responsibility by raising their children to respect school regulations. "Discipline is learned in the family. If at home people speak disrespectfully of teachers and institutions, the child will carry this behavior to school," Petrov said. He reminded that school regulations often remain only on paper, with actual compliance being below 50%.
According to him, although teachers' salaries have increased in recent years, the workload remains high - from administrative requirements, aggression in the classrooms and difficult communication with parents. “It is rather a cliché - to talk about high salaries. Young teachers often cannot stand the pressure and leave the system, despite the impulse of the heart with which they entered“, commented Petrov.
The union also supports the idea of introducing a subject related to virtues and value education. According to Petrov, over 80% of teachers are “in favor“. “We are not talking about religious education, but about traditional human virtues that are passed down through generations. Education is as important as knowledge“, he explained.