EDUCATION IN BULGARIA: A special feature by The Sofia Echo

16:00 Fri 16 May 2008

In a two-part feature, The Sofia Echo looks at the current state of education in Bulgaria, options for learning in private establishments and where the sector is going. This time around, Petar Kostadinov and Magdalena Rahn address kindergarten and primary school education.

The most recent data on the exact number of Bulgaria’s population dates to 2006, when, according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI), there were a total of 7 679 290 Bulgarians living in the country. This is the lowest number since 1990, when the population was 8 669 269. This negative trend has been reflected in the number of people enrolled in Bulgarian educational institutions and in the number of institutions themselves.

In 1990, Bulgaria had a total of 1 859 185 enrolled students in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and universities. Eighteen years later, the number has dropped to 1 349 508.

Again in 1990, the number of educational institutions was 8755, which included kindergartens, primary, secondary, vocational and art schools, institutes of higher education and universities. These figures then started declining, like the country’s economy in the first years of its transition from socialism to democracy. Kindergartens in 1990 numbered 4590, while 18 years later, their number is almost less than half, at 2456.

The number of schools has gone down as well, but not that substantially. The number of primary schools (I to VIII grade) in 1990 was 2934, while in 2008 it was 1955.
As for the other types of schools, the numbers have been relatively stable.

Art schools, for example, have kept a steady number. In the period from 1990 till 2008, there have always been about 20, with the lowest being in 2001 and 2002 when they totalled 18. This year, there are 21.

Vocational schools have also been on the rise, in contrast with the recent trends in preferences of Bulgarian teenagers, who tend to see their future in studying law, politics, medicine, journalism or IT.

In 1990, professional schools totalled 477; by 2008 their number had grown to 482.

The statistics for high schools are not easy to compile, due to the many changes in their status and names through recent years. This complication of the Bulgarian educational system has been one of the reasons why Bulgarian diplomas are not always recognised abroad.

The NSI has data on primary schools (I to IV grade), primary schools (I to VIII grade), lower secondary schools (V to VIII grade), upper secondary schools (IX to XIII grade) and combined schools (I to XIII grade with V to XIII grade). The number of all these schools in 1990 was 3584, while this year it was 2563.

The private sector is also represented in NSI statistics. The first information on private kindergartens dates to 1993, when there were just two private kindergartens in Bulgaria. In 2008, they numbered 36. Again in 1990, there were only nine private schools; today they have grown to the impressive – for Bulgaria – 67. According to NSI, there is only one private art school in Bulgaria today.

There are a total of 81 573 students enrolled in private kindergartens, schools and universities today in Bulgaria, of which 37 334 are enrolled in universities. The latter number is not a surprise, given the popularity of universities such as the American University in Bulgaria in Blagoevgrad, New Bulgarian University in Sofia and Varna Free University.

What pupils are taught in primary schools

First grade

1. Bulgarian literature and grammar
2. Mathematics
3. Roden krai (basic geography of Bulgaria)
4. Music
5. Painting
7. Vocational training
8. Physical education
9. Computers (optional)

Second grade

1. Bulgarian literature and grammar
2. Mathematics
3. Environment
4. Music
5. Painting
6. Vocational training
7. Physical education
8. Computers (optional)
9. One foreign language (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, etc)

Third and fourth grades

1. Bulgarian literature and grammar
2. Mathematics
3. Man and society
4. Man and nature
5. Music
6. Painting
7. Vocational training
8. Physical education
9. Computers
10. One foreign language

Fifth and sixth grades

1. Bulgarian literature and grammar
2. Mathematics
3. History and civilisation
4. Geography and Economy
5. Man and nature
6. Two foreign languages
7. Computers
8. Music
9. Painting
10. Physical education

Seventh and eighth grades

1. Bulgarian literature and grammar
2. Mathematics
3. Physics and astronomy
4. Biology and health care
5. Chemistry and environment
6. History
7. Geography and economy
8. Two foreign languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, etc)
9. Computers
10. Music
11. Painting
12. Physical education

Source: Ministry of Education