site.btaEducation Minister Confers with Spanish Ambassador

Spain is the country with the largest number of Bulgarian Sunday schools. Their number is 53 and many of them receive support from local authorities. This transpired at a meeting of Education Minister Galin Tsokov and Spanish Ambassador here Miguel Alonso Berio, said the Education Ministry on Tuesday.

The meeting was also attended by the heads of the departments for international cooperation and education of Bulgarians abroad and schools network at Ministry - Veselina Ganeva and Vanya Balcheva, and Angel Santamaria, education counsellor at the Spanish Embassy.

''Educational ties and relations between the two countries are developing very dynamically and in a positive direction,'' Minister Tsokov said. In his words, Bulgarian Sunday schools in Spain are not only the most numerous, but also the best functioning. For about half of them, the local authorities have provided free of charge premises for teaching activities.

''There has been a significant Bulgarian community in Spain for many years. It is well integrated and makes a great contribution to our economy,'' Ambassador Berio said.

Some 31,500 Bulgarian students study Spanish in 17 language schools across the country and interest in the language is growing every year, it transpired at the meeting. There are 19 teachers from Spain teaching their native language.

Ambassador Berio suggested that Spanish teachers should be employed in Bulgarian schools to teach subjects such as physics, chemistry and mathematics.

Ambassador Berio proposed a methodological seminar with the participation of Bulgarian and Spanish educators and education specialists. Cooperation in STEM education and vocational education was also discussed.

The two countries will also work to increase cooperation in the field of higher education and open lectureships in Bulgarian and Spanish. Minister Tsokov and Ambassador Berio noted that these ties should be expanded and the good cooperation at school level should be built upon at universities.