MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE Educational policies and measures to improve the access to education and to support.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCESCIENCE  

Educational policies and measures to improve the access to education and to support the development of disadvantaged

children

EUROPA House, Sofia 31 October 2014

Policy for comprehensive, Policy for comprehensive, accessible and quality education accessible and quality education and trainingand training.. Lifelong learning. Lifelong learning.

Improving the quality of educationEnsuring equal access to education and

opening up of the education systemLinking vocational education and training

with labour market needsCreating conditions and enabling

environment for implementation of the National Strategy for Lifelong Learning

Transforming Bulgaria into a country of knowledge and innovation

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Main goals of education Main goals of education policypolicy

equal access to educationquality educationEqual access to education and quality education are

interrelated – equal access means access to quality education, and quality education reveals its full potential only if accessed by every Bulgarian child.

Equal access to quality education is directly linked to the establishment of conditions for sustainable development – establishment of conditions and environment at school and university level but also building up a system of services and appropriate infrastructure in order to support and facilitate the exercise of everybody’s right to education.

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Priority of education Priority of education policypolicy

Development of policies and measures targeted at establishing inclusive schools and kindergartens which adequately meet the needs of children and students, particularly disadvantaged children and students, and also at providing the required support to them during school education and preschool education and training.

These policies and measures are laid down in the main strategic documents of the Ministry of Education and Science.

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Main strategic documents of Main strategic documents of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education and ScienceScience

Strategy to reduce the share of early school leaving (2013 –2020)

The policies and key measures to prevent early school leaving, which are set out in the Strategy, include also providing access to education and increasing the quality of education for children and students from vulnerable ethnic communities.

The Strategy is oriented towards implementation of policies and measures in order to achieve the goal of “11% share of the early school leavers by 2020”, a goal also outlined by the National Reform Programme of the Republic of Bulgaria (2012 – 2020).

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Main strategic documents of Main strategic documents of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education and ScienceScienceNational Strategy for Lifelong Learning

for the period 2014 - 2020 The National Strategy for Lifelong Learning sets the strategic

framework of the state policy for education and training for the period 2014 – 2020, which is targeted at achieving the EU objective of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The National Strategy is based on four main principles:

- Application of an educational approach supporting the development of all learners and contributing towards development of thinking, capable and proactive individuals;

- Increasing the quality of education and training;

- Ensuring the educational environment for equal access to lifelong learning and for active social inclusion and active citizen participation;

- Promoting education and training aligned to the needs of the economy and changes on the labour market.

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Main strategic documents of the Main strategic documents of the Ministry of Education and ScienceMinistry of Education and Science

National Strategy for Pedagogical Staff Development (2014 – 2020)

The National Strategy for Pedagogical Staff Development streamlines the policies for pedagogical staff training, qualification and career development , and is linked to the regulatory, institutional and social basis of the overall education system.

The Strategy objective is to achieve correlation with the objectives of the EU Cohesion Policy for the period 2014 - 2020, particularly with the thematic objective for investing in education, school and out-of-school training and lifelong professional qualification, as well as with the Programme supporting sustainable and quality employment and labour mobility.

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Main strategic documents of Main strategic documents of the Ministry of Education the Ministry of Education and Scienceand Science

Strategy for development of vocational education and training in the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2015 - 2020

One of the main objectives of the Strategy is to address early leaving of the education system by children from socially disadvantaged families and to give opportunities to adults to acquire qualification in specific subjects at vocational secondary schools and vocational training centres in order to participate in the labour market.

The introduction of the dual education system, or learning by working, will help reduce the number of leavers of the education system and also youth unemployment rates.

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Main strategic documents of Main strategic documents of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education and ScienceScienceNational Strategy to Promote and

Improve Literacy (2014 – 2020)The Strategy identifies the promotion and improvement of literacy as a national priority.Special attention is paid to vulnerable groups – those whose low income limits their learning opportunities and reduces their motivation, as well as those who find language a major obstacle to acquiring education. The focus is placed on creating environment for literacy promotion whereby special role is played by modern information technologies and by teachers. Specialized qualification is foreseen for all teachers on modern methods of teaching and diagnostics of reading.

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A concept to amend the regulatory framework in implementing Article 24 - Education of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (approved in May 2014 by an Order of the Minister of Education and Science)

The concept’s main goal is to introduce amendments to the secondary legislation in the field of education targeted at providing real guarantees for equal access, equality and inclusion of every child and every student in the education system through lifelong learning and meaningful involvement in the social life, with the purpose of successful labour market participation. 10

Key measures targeted at reducing the rate of children and students who are not covered by the education system and at preventing early school leaving gradual introduction of full-day organisation of the school process – during school year 2013/2014, total 176 488 students were covered by a full-day school process in 1 788 schools. In the current school year, such process was also introduced for 5th graders.

in school year 2010/2011, a mandatory two-year child training was introduced prior to enrollment in the 1st grade at school and it has been operational since then; the aim is to include successfully every child in the education system, something of particular relevance to the children whose mother tongue is other than Bulgarianevery year, textbooks and teaching aids are provided free of charge to the pupils from the 1st to the 7th grade; this helps ease the social burden on children from socially disadvantaged families and it also contributes to promoting school attendanceresource support is provided for integrated training of 11 954 children and students with special educational needs at kindergartens, general and vocational education schools by total 1364 professionals from the resource centres which are the MES supporting units. the necessary enabling environment has ben created for pupils with special educational needs to take part in the national external assessment process and to sit for their state matriculation exams. different types of training are held for school headmasters, teachers and other professionals who have pedagogical functions and work with children and students with special educational needs in a general education setting, and also with children from other vulnerable groups, including Roma

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National ProgrammesNational Programmesof the Ministry of Education and Science of the Ministry of Education and Science

which are also targeted at disadvantaged children which are also targeted at disadvantaged children

National Programme on Creating Accessible Architectural Environment – annual funding is provided for construction of access ramps, adjustment of sanitary premises, repairs of ancillary infrastructure, provision of elevator facilities and installation of platform facilities

National Programme “Caring for Every Student” – under the Programme modules, additional training is financed annually for children from pre-school groups, both at kindergartens and schools, for students in the initial years of primary education and the years immediately preceding the secondary education stage, in order to increase the level of their general education achievements

National Programme “School is the Territory of Students”, Module on supporting full-day school for students in the initial school years – inclusion of students, among them such from ethnic minorities, in various activities within full-day organisation of the school process is funded on an annual basis. By spending the whole day in a Bulgarian speaking environment, children of different mother tongues are supported in their efforts to learn better the Bulgarian literary language, which presupposes increased educational level, improved communication skills and active intercultural dialogue among students of different ethnic background. Total 93 school projects were approved for funding in 2014, at the total cost of BGN 800 000.

National Programme “Schools of No Student Absences”, Measure “No Absence” – support is provided to schools implementing their own action plans to reduce absence rates, early school leaving rates and to reintegrate school leavers.

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Human Resources Development Operational Programme 2007 – 2013: projects which are targeted also at disadvantaged children BG051PO001-4.2.05-0001, “School of self-affirmation and preparation for European

horizons – USPEH (SUCCESS)” - conditions are created to rethink students’ free time through interest based activities in various extracurricular classes, with a view of keeping them in the school environment. In school year 2013/2014, total 189 930 students in 1 304 schools were included.

BG051PO001-3.1.06, “Improving education quality in community schools through introduction of full-day organisation of the school process“ – the goal is cover students even more extensively and keep them at school. In school year 2013/2014, total 4383 groups were established comprising 102 169 students.

BG051PO001-4.1.03, “Integration of children and students from ethnic minorities in the education system” – under this scheme, total 152 agreements were signed amounting to BGN 22 207 222,32. The following activities are supported:

- providing appropriate educational environment for inclusion of children from kindergartens categorized on the basis of ethnicity through gradual enrollment at kindergartens outside the Roma neighborhoods;

- preparation of children at early age (3 – 6 years) for full inclusion in the future educational process, among them children from ethnic minorities too. Additional activities for children in kindergartens whose mother tongue is other than Bulgarian;

- activities targeted at preservation and development of the cultural identity of children and students from ethnic minorities;

- joint activities between parents of Roma children and other parents;

- qualification of headmasters, teachers and other pedagogical professionals in the field of working in a multicultural setting.

BG051PO001-4.1.07, “Inclusive training” – aimed at providing enabling environment for equal access to education and opening up of the education system to the implementation of inclusive training of children and students with special educational needs

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Competition procedures of the Competition procedures of the Centre for Educational Centre for Educational Integration of Children and Students Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities (CEICSEM) from Ethnic Minorities (CEICSEM) 

In 2013, the CEICSEM launched a competition procedure under the following three strategic objectives which are also priorities of the 3-year CEICSEM activity plan for the period 2013 - 2015:

Strategic objective 1: to guarantee the right to equal access to quality education, including through integration of Roma children and students in ethnically mixed kindergartens and schools.

Strategic objective 2: to preserve and further develop the cultural identity of children and students from ethnic minorities, and also turn ethnic cultural diversity into a source of mutual acquaintance, respect and cooperation.

Strategic objective 3: to include and accept Roma parents as part of the educational process and to increase their involvement in school life.

The beneficiaries of the projects are state and municipal kindergartens, schools and supporting units in the system of public education, the regional education inspectorates, state run higher education schools and municipalities.

Under the three competition procedures, project activities covered total 4 527 target group children and students; 1509 target group parents; 813 target group teachers.

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““Education means investing in Education means investing in the future”the future”

It is of primary importance for the national policy to agree on the cause of education and investing in children as a fundamental priority of Bulgarian society development. To this end, the Parliament should urgently adopt all draft bills and strategies underpinning the policies and measures which will guarantee stability of Bulgarian education. First and foremost, these should be the documents ensuring the start of the new Operational Programme “Science and Education for Smart Growth”.

In this way we will achieve one of the priorities of the European cooperation in the field of school education, namely “Increasing the primary role of schools in promoting inclusive societies and strengthening social cohesion by providing quality education to all students in accordance with the principle of equality”.

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE 

Thank you for your attention!