1. The Bulgarian educational system
Our TREASURES
European school partnership project
under the Comenius programme
1st project meeting – Targovishte,
17th-21st October 2010

2. Main features of the Bulgarian education
The education at state and municipality schools is free of charge, except for the higher education schools
Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 7 (or 6, if the parents wish) and 16
Grading is based on written and oral testing, homework, and in-class participation
The grading system is based on numerals, where 6 is the highest and 2 is the lowest grade a student can obtain. Passing grades are from 3 to 6; 2 denotes a failure
Parents have legal responsibility to secure the school attendance of their child
All schools admit students of both genders
The official language of instructions is Bulgarian

3. Main features of the Bulgarian education
The curriculum is composed of three components: compulsory, elective, and optional; the correlation between those varies at different types of schools
Subjects fall into the following eight major areas of content:
Bulgarian language and literature
Foreign languages
Mathematics
Information and communication technologies
Social sciences and civics
Natural sciences and ecology
Music and art
Physical education and sports

4. Main features of the Bulgarian education
The school year starts on September 15th and ends in May or June depending on the grade level of the students and on the quantity of material that needs to be covered :
It ends on May 24th for grades 1 and 12
On May 31st for grades 2 - 4
On June 15th for grades 5 - 8
On June 30th for grades 9 – 11
The school year is divided into two terms. The first term begins on September 15th and ends at the end of January
Classes meet five days a week and usually take two shifts (morning and afternoon)

5. School day organization
School day begins at:
8:00 – 1st, 2nd grade
7:30 – 3rd, 4th grade
7:30/13:30 – 5th-12th grade
Duration of a lesson:
35 min – 1st, 2nd grade
40 min – 3rd, 4th min
40/45 min – 5th-12th grade
Break:
10 min after each lesson
Long break:
15/20 min, after the 3rd lesson
Lessons per day: 4 - 7

6. Pre-primary education
Level
Age
Babysitters, nursery school
(half- or full day, not compulsary, public or private)
1 - 3
Kindergarden
(full day, not compulsory but rather common, public or private)
3 - 6
Pre-primary school / preparatory class
(compulsory, at kindergardens or schools)
6 - 7

7. Basic (elementary) school
Grade
Type of school
Age
Duration
1st to 4th grade
(certificate for Primary Education)
Primary school
7 - 10
4 years
5th to 7th/8th
(certificate for Elementary/
Basic Education)
Basic (Lower secondary) school
11 – 13/14
3 or 4 years

8. Secondary education Grade Type of school Age Duration
9th to 12th grade
Non-specialized comprehensive schools
4 years
8th/9th to 12th grade
Specialized comprehensive schools
(for those who want to study languages, mathematics, or informatics in-depth)
14/
4 or 5 years
Vocational (technical)
schools
Students graduating from secondary school must pass national matriculation exams in Bulgarian language and literature
and another subject of their choice.

9. Higher education schools
Types of higher education institutions:
Universities
Colleges
Specialized higher schools
University stages:
Specialist's degree
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Doctoral degree

10. Expected changes in the structure of education
Completion of basic education after the 7th grade instead of 8th grade
The 8th grade – a year of intensive learning a foreign language and computer and/or vocational training for all pupils
Division of the secondary level into two stages:
First secondary stage (8th – 10th grade): the end of this stage will mark the completion of compulsory education
Second secondary stage (11th – 12th grade): At the end of this stage they have to take national matriculation exams in order to complete their secondary education

11. Thank you for your attention! Have a nice stay at our school!