site.btaPrincipals of First Bulgarian School in Edinburgh Meet with Management of Agency for Bulgarians Abroad

The principals of the First Bulgarian School "Lady Nadejda Stancioff Muir" in Edinburgh, Scotland, Spas Yanev and Daniela Dimova-Yaneva, met with the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (EABA) Executive Director Raina Mandzhukova and representatives of the management, in the person of Deputy Executive Director Joanna Dragneva and the Director of "Bulgarian Communities and Information" Valery Radolov on the occasion of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the school. The EABA team shared the topics discussed during the meeting on its official website.

The administration of the Bulgarian School in Edinburgh has shared the history of the school and information about its activities. "It all started ten years ago with only two children, and today their number is over 120. The team consists of fifteen people in total, eight of whom teach.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, the management of the school will prepare a seminar for educators and people connected with Bulgarian schools abroad, with the participation of lecturers from the universities of Edinburgh, Cambridge, Middlesex, and Sofia, as well as their lecturers on the topic of teaching bilingual and multilingual children, the Agency added. A celebratory concert is also being planned for the children of the school with the support of the newly opened Edinburgh Consular Service and the EABA.

The meeting discussed early learning of the Bulgarian language and its importance. Yanev stressed the need for a scientific study on this topic. The guests also shared the successes of the school, telling about the Bulgarian language education programme developed by its leader, Mariana Dimitrova-Ilcheva. The programme, which combines elements of the Bulgarian and Scottish education systems, has produced good results, with three of the school's senior pupils passing the Institute for International Students' B2 level Bulgarian language exam with distinction, the Bulgarian school's principals said during the talk.

First Bulgarian School "Lady Nadejda Stancioff Muir" in Edinburgh was founded on February 14, 2015 and is part of the Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Centre in Scotland. The school offers education in classes from preparatory group (for children from 3 to 7 years) to grade 12, and follows the curriculum of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science.