What does the Education Program envisage until the end of 2025?
The Managing Authority of the Education Program has published an Indicative Annual Work Program for 2025. It contains the operations that the program plans to announce/implement during the current year, who will be eligible to apply, at what value, and under what deadlines. What does the Managing Authority foresee for 2025?
Practice from previous years, both in the OP and in other programs, shows that indicative annual work programs are too indicative—they are rarely implemented as they are and are not binding documents. Nevertheless, the IWP shows the intentions of the Managing Authority. Even if there are changes in the schedules, they are implemented in one form or another.
Already announced operations
The IWP contains some of the already announced competitions and systemic projects. For example, back in April, a competition was announced for the competitive selection of projects entitled “Comprehensive municipal programs for school desegregation, prevention of secondary segregation, and anti-discrimination.” The deadline for this was June 30, and the evaluation process is currently underway. The final results are expected to be published in October-November.
The same applies to the competitive procedures “Adult Literacy” and “Development of the Dual System in Vocational Education and Training.”
The IGRP also includes important systemic projects of the Ministry of Education and Science, which are already in the process of implementation, but the activities in schools are yet to come:
Digital transformation of school education: The OP will invest BGN 246,473,970 in the project, which “inherits” the “Education for Tomorrow” project. The planned activities will include: 1. Upgrading the existing cloud environment and the implemented platform for educational services and content “Digital Backpack”; 2. Development, adaptation, and use of digital educational content; 3. Introduction of automated processes and artificial intelligence in school education; 4. Building a modern secure educational environment in schools based on modern facilities/equipment; 5. Training of teaching professionals; 6. Improving the digital competence and skills of students; 7. Information campaigns on the benefits of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, media literacy, intellectual property protection, digital well-being, etc. Schools will once again offer interest-based activities and training for students and parents on the use of digital platforms.
Currently, the Ministry of Education and Science, as the specific beneficiary, is specifying the specific parameters with the IAAP. The project activities are likely to start in the next school year. It is realistic to expect school activities to start no earlier than the second semester, i.e. February-March 2026.
Improving the quality of general education through the effective application of a competency model: the criteria for selecting operations that determine the parameters of this systemic project were approved back in 2022. The Ministry of Education and Science intends to invest nearly BGN 167 million in this project, with 80% of schools participating. They will be grouped into professional learning communities, i.e., groups of 2-5 schools that will carry out joint activities and exchange experience.
The Ministry of Education and Science, through its Project Management and Implementation Directorate, is the lead beneficiary of this project. The beneficiary’s ambition is for activities at school level to begin in the second term of the 2025/2026 academic year.
Upcoming operations:
Several new operations in school education are planned for 2025. Among them we can mention:
Creating conditions for access to education by overcoming demographic, social, and cultural barriers (complementary funding for the CLLD approach):
This operation complements/replaces the Community-led Local Development (CLLD) approach from the previous programming period. During the current period, LAGs will not apply for this competition, but rather the final beneficiaries within the territory of the approved LAGs: municipalities, schools, and NGOs. The operation is expected to be announced in June/July 2025, and projects can be submitted until September/October 2025.
Examples of activities will include: 1. Support for children and students; 2. Support for teaching professionals and non-teaching staff working in a multicultural environment; 3. Support for school/preschool and local communities for active interaction in a multicultural educational environment;
The Education Program has allocated BGN 35,187,498 for this operation, with each project costing between BGN 100,000 and BGN 350,000. Municipalities, schools, kindergartens, and NGOs in areas where there are approved VOMR Strategies can apply for the projects. Currently, these cover over 100 municipalities in so-called rural areas.
The call for proposals is expected to be issued at the end of this year, with the results to be announced in early 2026. It is important to note that during the current programming period, the CLLD approach will be implemented in a new way: all LAGs will be specific beneficiaries, and a specific budget will be approved for each of them. This will give them a chance to compete with themselves and take the time to prepare high-quality project proposals.
Prevention and avoidance of bullying and violence and reduction of aggression in schools:
This operation will be completely innovative as it will not be implemented through competitive project selection, but through the provision of funds to a specific beneficiary. In this case, it will not be the Ministry of Education and Science, but schools that will be selected by the Managing Authority. The operation is expected to be announced in September/October 2025, and projects can be submitted until December 2025/January 2026.
Examples of activities will include:
Conducting campaigns for tolerance and improving communication among students, as well as influencing internal motivation, providing psychological support aimed at children and students, teaching professionals, and parents; 2. Supporting the use of mediators in resolving conflicts at school, counselling children/students with a psychologist/educational advisor; 3. Improving teachers’ competences in using and applying forms and methods of countering bullying, violence, etc., to create a supportive environment in the classroom, to work with children and students with SEN, to work with parents, to counteract negative manifestations such as aggression/anger – recognition, causes, and prevention; 4. Including students with behavioral problems in groups to improve social skills for communication and nonviolent conflict resolution, directing the child or student to activities tailored to their needs; mentoring; 5. Participation of students in school management and support for volunteer initiatives, as well as in activities that develop civic and global competencies, including clubs and competitions in debate and public speaking.
The Education Program has allocated BGN 34,833,135 for this operation, with each project worth up to BGN 350,000. This means that a large number of schools will participate in the operation. The Managing Authority is prepared to allocate additional resources to the operation if there is interest from schools. There is potential for additional resources, as many of the announced operations have been implemented with significantly fewer resources than planned. Schools that express interest in the operation and its activities have a good chance of having their projects approved.
In terms of timing, this procedure is planned to be announced in August or September. Usually, potential clients have the opportunity to submit projects within 3 months.
Support for talented students: the operation is innovative, with no analogue in any previously announced operation. The main objective is to provide support at the local level to encourage children/students to demonstrate their talents in STEM, arts, culture, sports, and foreign languages and to achieve higher results in their education. The planned activities include support for the development and expression of the talents of children and students at the local level through participation in competitions, contests, Olympiads, clubs, workshops, and other events to encourage talent. Municipalities and municipal districts will be eligible to apply. The allocated resource is BGN 33,000,000. The operation is planned to be announced in August–September 2025.
This operation will show the extent to which municipalities are interested in applying for so-called “soft measures for education”, as previous experience with the OP indicates relatively low interest on the part of local authorities.
Access to higher education for vulnerable groups and non-teaching staff: this operation is aimed at students from vulnerable groups who are in 12th grade or have completed secondary education but have not continued on to university. Educational mediators (as well as other non-teaching staff) who wish to complete higher education in teaching may also participate. The following activities will be supported:
Identifying and motivating representatives of the target groups to complete secondary education and continue their education in higher education, including working with parents of students from vulnerable groups; 2. Supporting the continuation of education of individuals from the target groups in higher education institutions; 3. Support for the training of students from vulnerable groups in their first/second year; 4. Support for the professional development of educational mediators/teaching assistants with completed secondary education.
Secondary schools and NGOs will be able to apply for the procedure. The Education Program will support the operation with BGN 35,679,631, and the value of a single project will vary between BGN 250,000 and BGN 750,000.
The last two procedures are currently undergoing public consultation! Anyone interested can review the relevant documents (including the Application Guidelines) and submit comments and suggestions by August 20, 2025.
The Amalipe Center calls on schools, municipalities, and NGOs to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Education Program and to apply under the planned procedures! These opportunities are a chance for a better learning process in all schools: the allocated resources are sufficient and give applicants a chance to have their projects approved.
We also call on the IAPO to remove the barriers to the participation of civil society organizations—especially the practical lack of advances and the application of de minimis (for more on the barriers to civil society organizations, see here).
See: Indicative annual work program of the OP for 2025 (updated).