Vasilitsa in the National Assembly: What Did Students, Amalipe Representatives, and Deputies Say?
For another year, the Center Amalipe and partner schools organized an event for Vasilitsa in the National Assembly. It took place on January 15 (“Bangio Vasil” or “Vasil’s crutch,” as the third day of the holiday is known, not the entire holiday) and was hosted by academician Nikolay Denkov and Krasimir Vulchev. The Chairman of the National Assembly, Assoc. Kiselova, and over 15 deputies from various parliamentary groups honored the event. They were welcomed by students from “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” School in Ihtiman, and the Chairman of Amalipe, Deyan Kolev, addressed them with messages about creating a favorable environment for the work of civil organizations and their partnership with schools. What did the participants say?
Center Amalipe and schools from the intercultural education network “Every student will be a winner”
organized public celebrations for the Vasilitsa festival – Roma New Year for the 16th consecutive year. The event at the National Assembly was hosted by MPs and former Education Ministers acad. Nikolay Denkov and Krasimir Vulchev (a day later, he was re-elected as Minister of Education and Science), setting a good example of bipartisan support for better education for Roma children.
Despite a tense political day (at the same time, President Radev was handing over the government mandate to Rosen Zhelyazkov, and MPs were voting on important budget and judicial reform laws), over 15 deputies from various parliamentary groups attended the entire event and expressed their support for the work of schools educating Roma students and for the Center Amalipe. The event was announced from the parliamentary podium, and special flyers were made by acad. Denkov. Both he and Krasimir Vulchev sent a special greeting to all schools in the “Every student will be a winner” Network.
In his welcome speech, Amalipe Chairman Deyan Kolev emphasized that through the Vasilitsa celebrations, Roma organizations, schools, and educational mediators aim to show that Roma are an ethnic community with their own culture and traditions, contributing to the richness of the Bulgarian national culture. Intercultural education is the best foundation for fostering tolerance and preserving the ethnic identity of different minorities in Bulgaria. Schools from the “Every student will be a winner” network are a very good example of developing civic and intercultural education, achieving full coverage and improving their success in national assessments and state exams.
Source: National Assembly Website
Source: National Assembly Website
In his welcome speech, Amalipe Chairman Deyan Kolev emphasized that through the Vasilitsa celebrations, Roma organizations, schools, and educational mediators aim to show that Roma are an ethnic community with their own culture and traditions, contributing to the richness of the Bulgarian national culture. Intercultural education is the best foundation for fostering tolerance and preserving the ethnic identity of different minorities in Bulgaria. Schools from the “Every student will be a winner” network are a very good example of developing civic and intercultural education, achieving full coverage and improving their success in national assessments and state exams.
Deyan Kolev highlighted that in 2024, there has been increased pressure on civil organizations and their partnerships with schools. It is unacceptable in a democratic and European state for organizations to be labeled as “foreign agents,” and for schools to be restricted/threatened from working in partnership with NGOs, despite their strong desire, and this partnership leads to an increase in the scope and quality of education. He appealed to MPs not to allow such pressure and to work for the smoother operation of schools and civil organizations.
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