site.btaShortage of Teachers Expected to Persist for Another 15 Years but Trend Is Reversing
NW 16:31:31 13-05-2019
LN1630NW.121
121 - POLITICS - EDUCATION - TEACHERS - MINISTER
Shortage of Teachers Expected to
Persist for Another 15 Years
but Trend Is Reversing
Sofia, May 10 (BTA) - The shortage of teachers is expected to persist for another 15 years due to the age structure of this professional group but the trend is about to be reserved, Education Minister Krassimir Velchev told reporters in Parliament. He explained that due to demographics, more teachers will be retiring in the next fifteen years than those who begin a teaching career. "This is a serious challenge for all systems, sectors and professions," the Minister commented.
He believes that the decision the government made in 2017 to double teachers' pay, will solve the problem. In the next couple of years, the Ministry has put aside 360 million leva in order to double the wages of teachers.
The Minister said though that there is an increase in the number of people who are willing to be trained and to work as teachers. He added, though, that the present levels are unsatisfactory and the shortage remains significant in some disciplines.
Velchev argued that something should be done to make sure the best students enroll in the education departments of universities. The Ministry, for example, is considering additional incentives to achieve that.
He recalled that a special programme has started to train professionals to start teaching. Funding will be provided by this programme to train an engineer, for example, to become a math or physics teacher. It will also finance the retraining of teachers who seek to broaden their area of competence: a history teacher, for example, who wants to also teach geography, the Minister explained.
The Minister was adamant that the teacher is a key factor in the classroom and if Bulgaria has good teachers, it will have good specialists in all areas of life. LN/
//
LN1630NW.121
121 - POLITICS - EDUCATION - TEACHERS - MINISTER
Shortage of Teachers Expected to
Persist for Another 15 Years
but Trend Is Reversing
Sofia, May 10 (BTA) - The shortage of teachers is expected to persist for another 15 years due to the age structure of this professional group but the trend is about to be reserved, Education Minister Krassimir Velchev told reporters in Parliament. He explained that due to demographics, more teachers will be retiring in the next fifteen years than those who begin a teaching career. "This is a serious challenge for all systems, sectors and professions," the Minister commented.
He believes that the decision the government made in 2017 to double teachers' pay, will solve the problem. In the next couple of years, the Ministry has put aside 360 million leva in order to double the wages of teachers.
The Minister said though that there is an increase in the number of people who are willing to be trained and to work as teachers. He added, though, that the present levels are unsatisfactory and the shortage remains significant in some disciplines.
Velchev argued that something should be done to make sure the best students enroll in the education departments of universities. The Ministry, for example, is considering additional incentives to achieve that.
He recalled that a special programme has started to train professionals to start teaching. Funding will be provided by this programme to train an engineer, for example, to become a math or physics teacher. It will also finance the retraining of teachers who seek to broaden their area of competence: a history teacher, for example, who wants to also teach geography, the Minister explained.
The Minister was adamant that the teacher is a key factor in the classroom and if Bulgaria has good teachers, it will have good specialists in all areas of life. LN/
//
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