site.btaNational External Assessment Exams After Grade 7 Will Take Place on June 15 and 17 Matriculation Exams on June 1 and 3

May 5 (BTA) - The national external assessment
examination after grade 7 in Bulgarian language and literature
will take place on June 15, and the exam in mathematics - on
June 17. This was announced by Minister of Education and Science
Krasimir Valchev at a briefing in the Council of Ministers on
Tuesday.

The state matriculation exams after grade 12 will take place on
June 1 and 3. The exams for professional qualifications in
theory will be on June 5.

Minister Valchev announced the topics that will not be tested in
the exams. The related subjects will remain on the syllabus, as
knowledge and skills - especially in grammar and IT - are best
accumulated through practice, he stressed.

Seventh-graders who are quarantined on the dates of the exams
will be allowed to take them after PSR testing within the 36
hours before the exam. If the PSR is negative, the pupils will
be taken to separate rooms to sit for the exam. Several days
ago, there were 14 such pupils. If their number has grown, they
will be catered to accordingly, the Minister assured.

Valchev said that the school year will not be extended and will
continue in remote mode. Only pupils in the 7th and 12th grades
will take examinations at school. Applicants for professional
qualifications will have to attend their examinations, too.

The noncompulsory state matriculation examinations in elective
subjects after grade 12 will take place on June 2 and 4.
High-school leavers will be electronically notified of their
eligibility for matriculation exams by May 29.

Twelfth-graders will have their high-school diplomas by June 26. Thus, they will be able to apply to universities in Bulgaria or abroad. Minister Valchev pointed out the importance of state
matriculation exams, as they are required to apply in 38 of the
52 higher education institutions in Bulgaria.

The pupils taking the exams will be seated sparsely, there will
be one invigilator per classroom and more in the hallways. The
Ministry of Interior will assist the Education Ministry to
prevent people from gathering in the schoolyards before the
exams, Valchev said.

According to a provision in the draft bill introduced at the Council of Ministers on Monday evening, the national external assessment for grades 4 and 10 will be replaced by a diagnostic evaluation of some schools over the next school year, which will not have the characteristics of a national external assessment, as it will not be comprehensive, Minister Valchev explained.

He commented on the topic of reopening kindergartens, saying that according to studies of the Education Ministry, 30 to 40 per cent of the parents would send their children back to kindergarten. Minister Valchev pointed out that this percentage represents 70,000 to 85,000 children being taken to kindergartens and interacting with each other on a daily basis, even if they are sparsely grouped. He explained that at this stage, prolonged daily interactions between many children in a group are considered a high-risk factor, so this week and next the kindergartens should not be reopened. He added that the decision will be based on weekly analysis that depends on the epidemic situation. RI/MT

/СН/