Both higher and primary education must be adequate to the practice and requirements of businesses, said Plovdiv Deputy Mayor Vladimir Temelkov at the Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills conference, held here on Tuesday.
He pointed out that curricula should be practice-oriented in both schools and universities, and that this will start removing the doubts about the education system.
"It is completely reasonable to focus on higher education institutions, but we must note that it should start from primary schools and from kindergartens. The kindergarten is the place where this spark and hope for learning, for education, for logical thinking, knowledge and skills, is formed," Temelkov stressed. He added that the quality of education at the initial stage is also important for the parents, who in turn are the workforce.
He recalled that this is why Plovdiv Municipality places a strong emphasis on kindergartens and the renovation of the educational infrastructure as a whole, adding that without adequate infrastructure, the city will not be able to attract many people, nor keep the 35,000 students who study in Plovdiv.
Temelkov noted that there are very few private kindergartens and schools in Plovdiv, which is proof that the structure works very well. "Children are indeed educated and prosper thanks to national and municipal programmes, but knowledge and skills are still formed in primary education", he pointed out.
He also emphasised that schools should continue with the practice of dual education in high school, because students need to know not only what knowledge, but also what skills they will acquire in a given specialty at the university. At the national level, however, funds must be provided to compensate specialists who work with students in the field of dual education, Temelkov concluded.
The Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project is a continuation of the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The main objective of the project will be to provide objective and comprehensive information and an accurate overall picture of the European Union's cohesion policy in all Bulgarian regions. Special emphasis will be placed on skills and knowledge as an engine for regional development.
As part of the project, in the period from November 2024 to September 2025, BTA will organize discussions in its regional press clubs in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardjali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik , Pernik, Petrich, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen and Yambol. BTA will also hold cross-border conferences in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje and Thessaloniki.
