According to 2010-2011 findings of the National Statistical Institute, only 11% of the kindergarten and school teachers in Bulgaria are under 35 years of age. Therefore, the Ministry of Education has recently launched a project, dedicated to teacher career development. One of the project’s priorities is to motivate and keep young teachers in the system of secondary education. They will be able to take one-year courses to obtain foreign language qualifications and improve their skills in information technologies. Some 46000 teachers, assistant principals, as well as heads of schools and kindergartens will join the programme for further career development. The project is being carried out under the Operational Programme “Human Resources Development”, and has received funding by the European Social Fund to the tune of some 37.5 million euro. The ministry is also envisaging measures to boost the career development of established teachers, who have received awards, or whose students have qualified for prestigious national and international competitions. They will be able to join various workshops and short courses, as well as get access to contemporary literature and publish their works in national and international specialized editions. Those teaching foreign languages or subjects in foreign languages will have the chance to obtain further qualifications in prestigious institutions, such as the French Cultural Institute, Cervantes Institute and Goethe Institute. Listen now to Ms. Milka Kojabashieva, expert from the Education Ministry.
“Some 80% of the teachers say they’re facing the problem of curbing school violence and aggression. Around 76% has difficulties in dealing with kids with special educational needs. That’s why we’ve done preliminary research on their interests and needs so that we can include related topics in the project. Last year, we surveyed teachers’ attitudes toward career development and found out many suffer the lack of working in multicultural environment. Furthermore, children’s teachers are poorly supported in their work in compulsory preschool education. For more than 7 years, assistant principals have not attended any courses. Our surveys have also shown teachers feel competent in using information technologies in class.”
According to a preliminary study, Bulgarian teachers are interested in career development opportunities. Nearly half of them will join courses under the European project, which will run by October 2014. Bulgaria’s state budget has allotted some 2.5 million euro per year to teacher qualifications.
English version: Vyara Popova
