site.btaForum for Bulgarian Communities in the Balkans Held in Kyustendil

A round table entitled "Bulgarians in the Balkans beyond the border after 1878 - The code of survival" took place in Kyustendil, the press centre of the Ministry of Education and Science reported. The forum was attended by representatives of Bulgarian communities from seven Balkan countries - Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia and Turkiye. A number of issues were presented related to the current state of the Bulgarian communities in these countries.

A project was presented at the forum, which explores the Bulgarian communities in the Balkans from the past to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary issues and perspectives. The project was prepared by the Scientific Research Fund at the Bulgarian Ministry of Education. The project is led by Prof. Boryana Buzhashka from the University of Library and Information Science and Technology (UniBIT). Participants included lecturers from the university and researchers from the Institute for Historical Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The Chief of Staff of the caretaker Education and Science Minister Natalia Mihalevska said that the leading priority in the work of the Education and Science Ministry is the support and inclusion of Bulgarian communities abroad. In the current school year, 396 educational institutions - Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad - are tutoring Bulgarian children and students in other countries.

"These are centres of knowledge, where children learn Bulgarian, get to know the traditions, history and geography of our country," said Natalia Mihalevska, who is also a long-time head of the Directorate for Education of Bulgarians Abroad at the Ministry of Education.

The forum is organized under the patronage of Vice President Iliana Iotova.