Discussion of the Deputy Minister of Education Gaydarova with Roma teachers on the occasion of the International Roma Day
We will not allow “two-speed” education, ie. curricula and content for advanced and retarded students. A STEM center will be built in each school. We also plan to equip gyms in all the schools which do not have such so far, as well as to repair and equip the existing gyms. This was said by the Deputy Minister of Education Maria Gaydarova at a meeting with Roma teachers, organized by the Amalipe Center and COIDUEM on 07 April 2022. What else did the pedagogues and the representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science talk about?
The discussion was organized on the occasion of the International Roma Day on April 8, as part of the campaign “I have a dream: to study and live together.” It was held in the hall of the Center for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities (CEICSEM). It was attended by 30 Roma teachers who are teachers in schools and kindergartens across the country. The participants were selected on a competitive basis by the organizers Center Amalipe and CEICSEM. The teachers discussed aching issues with Deputy Minister Maria Gaydarova, the Executive Director of CEICSEM Lalo Kamenov, Associate Professor Yosif Nunev and the Chairman of the Center Amalipe Deyan Kolev.
In his introductory words, Deyan Kolev has pointed out that with every year the number of Roma teachers increases, as well as the number of students from the Roma community who study in pedagogical specialties. Roma teachers are no longer an exception, including experts in managerial positions such as deputy school principals and principals. The main issues the participants have been interested in are the questions that all other Bulgarian teachers are interested in: for example, how the gaps from the distant learning period could be overcome, the challenges for the small rural schools / kindergartens, the renewal of curricula, opportunities for pedagogical innovation and so on. “At the same time, we as a community want to raise important issues such as the prevention of segregation, the need to foster desegregation, as well as the introduction of various forms of intercultural education.”
Ms. Gaydarova thanked the teachers for their hard work during the Covid pandemic and wished them to focus their efforts on returning all students to the classrooms because distance learning has practically left out of the borders of the educational system those who were most needed. She pointed out that school curriculum is now being updated so that it becomes more accessible and closer to the interests of students. Each teacher could evaluate the programs and textbooks s/he teaches through his/her account in edu.mon portal. Feedback will also be requested from students through student parliaments, as well as from parents. Deputy Minister Gaydarova also stressed that teacher salaries will be increased by more than 12% from the beginning of April. This will be a sustainable policy so that the salary of pedagogical specialists can be at the level of at least 120% of the average salary. Remuneration of non-teaching staff will also be increased. Assoc. Prof. Yosif Nunev stressed that the inclusion of intercultural elements in the curriculum is necessary.
During the discussion, questions were raised related to the difficulties the small schools and kindergartens face in ensuring an increase in the wages. Anatoli Georgiev, deputy director of the school in Dolni Tsibar, pointed out that for years the uniform spending standards have been increasing by a lower percentage than the percentage for increasing teacher salaries. This poses serious difficulties for small schools and kindergartens: the delegated school budget in most educational institutions in rural areas is already formed almost entirely by Pillar 1, ie. from wage costs and there are no opportunities for other costs. Therefore, a more serious increase in uniform cost standards is needed. In response, Deputy Minister Gaydarova pointed out that this year the means of subsistence will be increased by 10%.
Rosen Bogomilov, Deputy Director of 106 Primary School in Sofia, stressed the need to continue the funds for work with vulnerable groups provided under Art. 52a and Art. 52b of the Financing Ordinance. He explained that with these funds another educational mediator has been appointed in his school and additional classes are organized for students who are at risk of dropping out – for example, a music group led by Professor Ilia Iliev and many others. In response, Deputy Minister Gaydarova clarified that the provision of these funds will continue and the list for 2022 will be published soon.
Anahid Mihaylova, director of a kindergarten in the town of Lukovit, stressed that only two of the national programs include kindergartens. The Ministry of Education and Science does not provide sufficient opportunities for the development of pre-school education and for improving the quality of kindergartens. She suggested that kindergartens should be included in the national program “Together Again”, which should be done in other national programs as well.
The proposed new national education programs have sparked widespread discussion. Participants welcomed the new program “Together in Arts and Sports”, which will provide an opportunity for extracurricular activities and the purchase of sports equipment, costumes, sets and other necessary tools for the functioning of music groups, ensembles and sports teams in schools. Proposals were made in the national program to explicitly record the possibility of forming groups that recreate the cultural heritage of all ethnic groups, as the current practice of such activities clearly shows an increase in student interest and a reduction in dropouts.
The new national program for support of educational mediators was also welcomed. This program will provide the mediators working on the project “Support for Success” with the opportunity to be further paid after the end of this project in June. Deyan Kolev pointed out that the new national program provides opportunities to increase the number of mediators in schools with more students, as well as to increase the salaries of educational mediators. Teachers agreed that mediators work extremely well for the full coverage of students and that many of them are willing to enroll in pedagogical specialties and become full-fledged teachers.
Lalo Kamenov presented the national program to support desegregation, which is coordinated by CEICSEM. More municipalities are needed to apply for this program, stressed Mr. Kamenov. It covers the costs of intercity transport, and the transport may include not only Roma but also other students. The national program can also finance the purchase of textbooks, tablets and many other necessary things. Through it, educational mediators can be appointed to the municipalities to support the process of desegregation. The director of CEICSEM emphasizes that the policies for prevention of segregation and educational desegregation are municipal. The Ministry of Education and Science provides additional financial resources, but the desire to apply for it must come from the municipality itself. In this regard, local communities, civil society organizations and teachers need to be particularly active in encouraging municipalities to apply.
The national programs are in the stage of public discussion until April 26, 2022, everyone can make comments and suggestions to them, said Deputy Minister Gaydarova. In response to questions from the teachers, she said that through the Recovery and Sustainability Plan, the MES will fund the creation of STEM centers in all schools. Experience so far has shown that these cabinets have an extremely important positive effect. In response to another question, she clarified that in recent months the Regional Inspectorates of Education have collected information on the availability and condition of gyms in schools across the country. “It is unacceptable to accept the fact that in many of the smaller schools there are no gyms and therefore we will finance the equipment of such. In the schools with available halls we will support their renovation”, Deputy Minister Gaydarova said.
The discussion of Roma teachers with the Minister of Education on the occasion of the International Roma Day on April 8 has been organized for ten years by Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance “Amalipe”. This year it is part of the “I have a dream: to study and live together” campaign. As part of the campaign, a student competition for “Essay”, “Video” and “Image” was held. The distinguished students were awarded by President Radev and Vice President Yotova on April 8 in the Presidency of the Republic of Bulgaria. They were also accepted in the role of “Ambassador for a Day” by ministers and ambassadors of European embassies in Bulgaria.
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