The Education System In Bulgaria

According to the type of instruction and the educational level, schools are: Primary: grade 1 through grade 4; Lower secondary: grade 5 through grade 8; Basic: grade 1 through grade 8; Upper secondary schools, also called high schools: grade 9 through grade 12; Specialized upper secondary schools/Specialized high schools; Secondary general schools, grade 1 through grade 12; Vocational upper secondary schools - grade 8 or 9 through grade 12 or grade 13; Vocational schools: from grade 7 or grade 9 with a three-year training course; from grade 9 with a four-year training course; and profesionalni kolezhi (vocational colleges) with a course of study of up to two years; Sports schools; Arts schools; Special schools.

According to the way of funding, schools are: State- State schools, which are of national importance and are funded by the national budget Municipal - Municipal schools are of local importance and are funded by the municipal budget Private - Private schools are not funded by the state or municipal budget and pupils pay fees for their education.

PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION Pre-primary education embraces children between 3 and 6/7 years old. Optional kindergarten education is provided for children between three and six years old. However, prior to starting school, children must attend a one-year pre-school program.

BASIC EDUCATION Basic education (1-8 grades) in Bulgaria comprises: primary school (grades 1-4) pre-secondary school (grades 5-8). Within the framework of the same educational level additional vocational qualification could be obtained by running vocational-technical programmes upon completion of grades 6, 7 or 8. Learning resources /text books/ are free and are provided by the school. After successful completion of grade 4, a Certificate of Primary Education is issued. A Certificate of Basic Education is issued after successful completion of grade 8.

SECONDARY EDUCATION Secondary education in Bulgaria can be divided into secondary general /comprehensive and profile-oriented/ and vocational. Secondary general education can be attained at secondary comprehensive schools - 4 years and profile-oriented schools-4, 5 years. Students can enter the profile-oriented schools upon completion of grade 7 or 8 after passing entry examinations, according to the profile of the school (mother tongue/literature, mathematics, humanities etc.). Secondary vocational education can be attained at technical schools upon completion of grade 8 and a 4-years training, as well as upon completion of grade 7 and a 5-years training with intensive foreign language instruction. It is also provided by professional technical schools within a 3-years educational programme.

Secondary education (upper level) is offered by: Secondary comprehensive schools, they cover: primary school level – grades 1 through 4; junior high school – grades 5 through 8 and secondary school level – grades 9 through 11. Specialized schools with emphasis on foreign languages (language schools) – admission after grade 7 and upon entry exams. They cover grades 8 through 12/13. Specialized secondary schools – admission upon completion of grade 8 (theses are schools with emphasis either on science and/or mathematics, or on humanities, or sports, or arts etc.) They cover grades 9 through 12/13. Vocational secondary education is available at the vocational-technical and in the technical schools. The vocational-technical schools offer 4 years of training upon completion of grade 8 and 5 years of training upon completion of grade 7. Both result in specialized secondary education.

Special education Special education there is a network of schools – boarding schools, funded entirely by the government, for children with physical and mental disabilities. The priorities in this sphere are still to be met: adoption of legislation for providing financial support, development of alternative forms of education, establishment of a system of general schooling for admission of children from other schools and socialization of children with special needs, introduction of programs for integrated forms of education, individual instruction, etc.

The structure of the syllabus The structure of the syllabus is based on three types of instruction: compulsory, compulsory chosen and optional. Compulsory (General) education in Bulgarian schools is provided through the teaching and training of subjects related to the following fields of culture and education: Bulgarian grammar and literature Foreign languages Mathematics, Computing, Information technology Social sciences and civic education Natural sciences and ecology Arts Culture and technology Physical education and sport

School-leaving examinations The students in the secondary comprehensive schools go in for school-leaving exams in the following subjects: Bulgarian language and Literature A general subject of their own choice (excluding Bulgarian language and Literature); the subject has to be included in the compulsory curriculum for the last schooling year. The students in the specialized/specialized secondary schools sit for school-leaving exams in the following subjects: Bulgarian language and Literature: The main subject of the specialized school; if it is Bulgarian language and Literature, the examination is in the second important subject of the school.

Usual grading system in the school Full Description: 2-6; 6: otlichen (excellent); 5: mnogo dobur (very good); 4: dobur (good); 3: sreden (sufficient); 2: slab (poor). Highest on scale: 6 Pass/fail level: 3/2 Lowest on scale: 2

The Regulations on the Implementation of the Public Education Act and the school activities regulations: - Pupils are not allowed to be absent from school without valid reason - The absence of a pupil from classes without a valid excuse counts as an ‘unexcused absence’ - Provided a pupil is 15 minutes late without a valid excuse for three school hours, this is considered as an ‘unexcused absence’ for one school hour - A “transfer to another school till the end of the school year” penalty may be imposed on a pupil if he/she has more than 15 ‘unexcused absences’, with the exception of pupils in their final upper secondary school grade in both day and evening form of instruction. - If pupils fail to perform their obligations, established by the Regulations on the Implementation of the Public Education Act and the school activities regulations, they are penalized by: • reprimand; • warning for transfer to another school; • transfer to another school until the end of the school year; • moving from daytime to independent form of instruction – for pupils aged 16 and above.

Certificate/diploma awarded Grade fourth Leaving Certificate Basic Education Completion Certificate Diploma of Completed Secondary Education Diploma of Completed Secondary Education and Certificate of Professional Qualification