site.btaMoldova Approves Curriculum for History, Culture of Bulgarian People School Subject

At the end of August 2024, Moldova’s National Agency for Curriculum and Evaluation at the Ministry of Education approved the fifth to ninth grade curriculum for the school subject of History, Culture, and Customs of the Bulgarian People and changed its name to History and Culture of the Bulgarian People. The subject is taught in schools of Moldovan settlements with Bulgarian minority living there.

President of the Scientific Society of Bulgarians in Moldova and coordinator of the project, Ivan Duminika, said that the subject name was changed, because traditions are an integral element of culture in general. According to Duminika, the approval of the subject curriculum very important, since its teachers needed a unified programme covering grades five to nine to facilitate the teaching process.

Duminika said: "In November 2023, during a visit to educational institutions, I noticed this gap and that is why, at the ministry level, we have taken all necessary steps to introduce a uniform and validated programme this year. The next step is to issue textbooks based on this curriculum. We have decided to take our time though. We will monitor how the plan is implemented next year, we will consult with teachers and students to understand the challenges and get recommendations."

The expert said that teachers were advised to focus on communicating in Bulgarian, as they have the opportunity to develop their students' linguistic skills.