Improving discipline through more prevention and creating an effective system of incentives and sanctions, the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) proposes. The set of measures was presented today by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science Dr. Tanya Pancheva.
"With the proposals, we place a stronger emphasis on prevention and early support for the student. In this way, we want to provide more opportunities for problems to be recognized and resolved in a timely manner, for teachers to focus on teaching, and for students to study in a calm environment," said Dr. Pancheva. She emphasized that the proposals will be subject to a broad public discussion with teachers, principals, pedagogical specialists, parents, students, social partners and experts. They are to be further refined, and before the final model is developed, international experience will be studied and European expertise in the field of inclusive education, prevention and supportive school environment will be used.
"We are not talking about more punishments, but about changing the approach. The reaction should not begin only when the problem has already escalated. First and foremost should be prevention, early recognition of difficulties and support for the child, but along with them there must be clear rules and predictable consequences for their systematic violation," explained the deputy minister.
The proposed model provides for earlier recognition of the risk of dropping out of the education system through more active work with the family and better coordination between the education system, social and health authorities, municipalities and law enforcement agencies. For this purpose, an inter-institutional group is being created with the participation of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and representatives of local authorities. The creation of a new national electronic system of the MLSP is also underway, thanks to which it will be possible to identify the risk of dropping out early and identify timely measures for support and retention in the system.
Individual support will be based on a more comprehensive view of each student - his strengths and the areas in which he needs additional support. It is proposed to introduce an electronic card for the student's personal development in the NEISPUO system, which unites three key areas - behavior, social skills, personal achievements and talents. This information is currently contained in the system, but it will be upgraded, focusing more on the student's strengths. Teachers will be relieved of administrative work, because the assessment will be done once per term and will be as easy as possible.
In order to strengthen the educational work in school, it is proposed to appoint a personal development specialist, and the Ministry of Education and Science will recommend to schools that this person be a deputy director. His role is to support the student in building social skills, participation in school life, talents and relationships with peers, teachers and parents. The personal development specialist will coordinate the interaction between students, teachers, parents to comply with school rules. He will organize various events in school life for students' performances and talents, as well as implement inter-institutional interaction for more effective general and individual support. This will also be the specialist who will coordinate with parents and teachers the student's behavior problems and will monitor the implementation of measures at the school level.
The complex of measures also includes the introduction of a unified system of incentives, warning and corrective measures and sanctions. The guiding principle will be that the sanction should be the last, not the first reaction. Through various awards and diplomas, the active participation, progress and achievements of the student will be encouraged. Before a certain sanction is imposed, there must be an opportunity for conversation, support, warning and correction of behavior, while at the same time the school systematically notices and encourages the good behavior and efforts of the students.
All proposals are the basis for discussion with all stakeholders before they become proposals for regulatory changes, it became clear during the briefing.