The year 2025 will be very busy in terms of applying for funding for projects related to education, Regional Information Centre Manager Genoveva Drumeva said during a local conference as part of BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. The conference took place at the BTA National Press Club here on Tuesday.
She noted that so far, three contracts have been concluded in the region under the European Union's Education programme, which are being implemented by the municipalities of Dobrich, Dobrichka and Shabla. Drumeva presented data, according to which 1,555 people from marginalized communities are expected to be included in these projects. Over 370 children with Bulgarian as their mother tongue and over 80 pedagogical specialists will be participants in the activities, with 848 parents also to be involved in the projects.
Drumeva recalled that during the past programming period, eight projects worth just over BGN 2.5 million were implemented under the Science and Education for Smart Growth programme, with over 2,800 children, students and young people from marginalized communities participating in educational integration and reintegration measures and nearly 2,000 children from ethnic minorities having been integrated into the education system.
“Under the Human Resources Development Programme, 17 contracts worth over BGN 3.3 million have been implemented. These are investments in training, qualifications and skills acquisition. Good education requires good infrastructure, and the projects implemented under the Regions in Growth Programme are helping a lot in this regard", she said, adding that in the last programming period, three contracts worth over BGN 7.5 million were signed, which were used to renovate one kindergarten, one primary school and four high schools.
She pointed out that the Rural Development Programme enables municipalities outside Dobrich to benefit from funding for infrastructure projects. Five contracts worth over BGN 2.8 million were signed in the field of education. They have improved the material base of four schools and one kindergarten in the municipalities of Dobrichka, Tervel, Balchik, Kavarna and General Toshevo.
Over BGN 40 million have been agreed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan in Dobrich Region, Drumeva pointed out. They will be spent on equipping classrooms, offices, laboratories with access to high technologies. A Centre for Excellence in Vocational Education and Training will also be built at the Vocational High School of Agriculture in General Toshevo, she noted.
BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. The schedule of conferences until the end of September 2025 includes events in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol. Cross-border conferences will be held in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje, and Thessaloniki. The project builds on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
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