Meeting of the educational team of Amalipe Center with the Minister of Education
Representatives of the Amalipe Center, schools from the “Every student will be a winner” Network and the informal Network of Educational Mediators met with the Minister of Education, Professor Galin Tsokov and his team. They discussed the activities of the organization and proposals for political steps in the field of education. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Education on July 31.
On behalf of the Amalipe Center, the meeting was attended by Deyan Kolev, Teodora Krumova, Atanas Atanasov (coordinator of the Network of Educational Mediators), Daniela Hristova (director of the “P.R. Slaveykov” United School – Dzhulyunitsa village) and Todor Dzambov (director of PGHHT – city of Pazardzhik). They talked with the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov, the head of his office Nataliya Michalevska, the political advisers Rosen Bogomilov, Neli Koleva, Antonina Kenova and Deyan Yanev, Lalo Kamenov (director of TSOIDUEM), Sonia Krastanova (director of the Finance Directorate) , Victoria Kirilova (Directorate of Inclusive Education). The representatives of Amalipe talked about the main activities of the organization and about its approach in the field of education. Amalipe currently works in a network of over 300 schools across the country to reduce dropout, increase reach in the secondary level and introduce intercultural education. The organization also supports an informal Network of Educational Mediators in which over 300 mediators and social workers participate. The work approach includes:
- Promotion of intercultural education: through optional study hours/interested activities: “Folklore of the ethnic groups – Roma folklore”, through intercultural elements in the subjects of compulsory training and others.
- Desegregation and the promotion of education in an ethnically mixed environment
- Involvement of parents: through the formation of Parents’ Clubs, support for educational mediators, training of active parents and mediators
- Activating students/youth: through the formation of Student Parliaments, Youth Groups for tolerance and civic participation, youth campaigns and others.
Deyan Kolev presented ideas for changes to the Law on Preschool and School Education, the Standard for Civic and Intercultural Education, as well as other important political steps. He emphasized the need to include texts supporting desegregation at the interschool/municipal level in the amended Law on Preschool and School Education, an addition to the funding model, with the aim of better funding small schools and kindergartens, inclusion of the profession “educational mediator ”, wider introduction of intercultural education and others. He also insisted on dropping the “de minimis” regime on the operations of the Education Program, on increasing the budget of TSOIDUEM, so that more schools and kindergartens would receive support for their projects. More about the offers, see here:
Daniela Hristova told how intercultural education was introduced in her school through classes on the Freely Elective Subject/Facultative classes “Folklore of ethnic groups – Roma folklore” and how this helped to integrate Roma students, while at the same time preventing an outflow of majority students. She raised the question of the need for ethnically mixed schools, which are in category 1 and 2 of schools with a concentration of vulnerable groups, to receive greater support under Article 52 a of the Ordinance on Financing. Ms. Hristova also insisted that schools with a low concentration of vulnerable groups (2-20%) also receive funds to appoint an educational mediator.
Todor Dzhambov presented his school’s efforts to keep young people from the entire Pazardzhik region in the classrooms. He talked about the difficulties, but also about the successes achieved. It is particularly important that the students at PGHHT are formed as active citizens with prominent positions on important issues. As an example, Mr. Dzambov talked about the activities of the Youth Group for Tolerance and Civic Participation. After the active youth participated in a training organized by the Amalipe Center in Stara Zagora in November 2022, they conducted numerous peer trainings and campaigns – both in their school and in other municipalities.
Teodora Krumova emphasized the need, when evaluating the quality of education, to take into account not only the result of state matriculation exams and national external evaluation, but also the civic activity of students, how far the school stimulates creativity and free expression of opinion, are parents involved, undertaken whether anti-segregation activities are successful, how students feel. She gave numerous examples of wonderfully working schools even in the most remote and small settlements.
Atanas Atanasov presented the activities of the Network of Educational Mediators. He thanked for the change made in the Funding Ordinance, which provides a special resource for the appointment of educational mediators, social workers and teacher’s assistants. However, in many places mediators have been laid off since 1 July. Another problem is that some directors assign to their mediators functions that are not typical for this position. He urged the Ministry of Education to recognize educational mediation as a profession, to support the systematic training of mediators and the acquisition of the teaching profession by aspiring mediators. It is also necessary for the educational mediator to be included in the Preschool and School Education Act and the Ministry of Education to institutionalize the Network of Educational Mediators – as the Ministry of Health has done with the Health Mediators and their national network.
In the discussion that followed, Minister Tsokov expressed full readiness to interact with the civil sector, and in particular with the Amalipe Center, on all issues related to education. He shared that from the same day (July 31) the activity of working groups for the development of the Quality Standard and for language literacy begins. Representatives of Amalipe are included in both groups, as well as schools, universities, the main directorates of the Ministry of Education, the most active NGOs in education. The Ministry’s ambition is to have the working groups provide specific products by September. It is expected then that changes will be made to the Preschool and School Education Act.
Full support was expressed for educational mediators and their recognition as a profession. In connection with the issued Order for the allocation of funds for work with vulnerable groups, Mrs. Krastanova explained that in it, column 12 (the funds for the appointment of educational mediators from 01.07.2023) those schools that did not have mediators are missing as of 30.06.2023, or who have not registered the mediator in NEISPUO (or have registered him in another way, not as a mediator). In 2023, schools with a concentration of vulnerable groups that did not have mediators as of 30.06 will not receive funds in column 12, but will receive funds from 2024. At this time, no funds are intended to be provided to schools/nursery gardens with a low concentration of vulnerable groups, but this may change with another policy decision. The head of the cabinet Mrs. Michalevska expressed confidence that the Ministry of Education, in partnership with schools and NGOs, will identify which educational institutions, falling outside the scope of Article 52 a, really need an educational mediator and will find a way to ensure this position. More information on Column 12 funding for schools and kindergartens in 2023, see here.
The meeting took place in an extremely constructive spirit. The participants expressed their desire to work together for the better education of all children in Bulgaria and to find constructive solutions to all emerging challenges.
See also:
The funds for working with vulnerable groups in schools and kindergartens in 2023
The funding of schools and kindergartens with a concentration of vulnerable groups in 2023: more information
Changes in the Financing Ordinance: questions and answers
An online meeting was held for educational mediators: what was clarified at it?
The Ministry of Education and Science offers a new solution for educational mediators