site.btaEducation Minister Vulchev: Bulgaria Has 333 Sunday Schools in 42 Countries

Sofia, May 10 (BTA) - Education Minister Krassimir Vulchev told a news conference that Bulgaria has 333 Sunday schools abroad, which are supported in line with a decree and under a national programme for Bulgarian language and culture abroad. The schools are attended by 28,000 students in 42 countries on six continents.

The programme has financed activities worth over 50 million leva, which involved more than 50,000 Bulgarian children abroad. Ten schools are affiliated to Bulgarian diplomatic representations and the rest were established under the local legislation by the Bulgarian communities, said Vulchev. Also, there is a Sunday school in Thessaloniki affiliated with the Zographou Monastery in Mount Athos, and Orthodox Christian church communities abroad have Sunday schools.

The Education Ministry launched its policy of financing Bulgarian schools abroad ten years ago. New regulation is being drafted to introduce posting of teachers to Sunday schools in certain cases and electronic reporting so as to make things easier for the schools.

A draft decree published on Thursday regulates the appointment of teachers of Bulgarian language and literature under lectureship programmes in foreign tertiary education establishments. "We want to expand the study of Bulgarian language and literature abroad by regulating the lecturers' employment status. It will also be possible to post them," the Education Minister said. Now there are 34 lecturers teaching Bulgarian studies in 16 countries in Europe and Asia.