site.btaNational Forum Looks at School Innovations as Engines for Development of Education System

In 2024, a quarter of 520 innovative schools are already implementing a third or even fourth innovative project, said caretaker Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov. He was speaking at the opening of the first ever National Forum for School Innovation, taking place at the National Palace of Culture (NDK conference centre). 

The focus of the event was entirely on innovative teaching approaches and how they are becoming a driver for the development of the education system.

According to the Minister, what’s really important is not to innovate in a particular school, but rather to develop a culture of innovation in educational institutions, which has also happened through the National Programme "Innovation in Action". Already in the pandemic year 2019/2020, over 500 schools were able to make exchanges: mutual visits of innovative and non-innovative schools, and to form a network working on certain very important innovations for modern education. Among them are project-based learning, the one-to-one model, cloud technologies in education, Montessori pedagogy, and suggestopedia. 

These innovations, this network of innovative and non-innovative schools, is linked to all contemporary trends in education. Regional conferences and meetings of educators from different innovative schools have also started seven times a year. Over these years, more than 220 schools participated in these regional conferences as more than 2,100 principals, teachers, and students presented and have exchanged information related to the introduction of innovation. “This has changed many things in our schools - there is more freedom and professional autonomy that teachers need to implement innovations, and it has also affected students' motivation to learn. This national programme has developed a new model for the qualification of teaching professionals, which this year we have tried to implement through 160 masterclasses across the country. They are conducted by school principals and teachers who introduce their colleagues to innovations and positive practices in their schools,” Minister Tsokov explained.

The final educational products created in the first five successful laboratories under the National Programme "Innovation in Action" were presented at the forum. 

School Innovation Labs were implemented by five host schools, with ten partner schools contributing to each. Thus, more than 55 schools participated in the initiative, developing and implementing innovative approaches in Bulgarian education, the Education Minister said.

The labs are in different thematic areas - "Entrepreneurship and financial literacy", "Ecology and green energy", "Project-based learning and integrated knowledge", "Positive education and personal development" and "Educational integration and civic education".

The activities were implemented by five schools in Sofia, Varna, Gotse Delchev, Stara Zagora and the village of Dermantsi. The successful implementation is the result of the teamwork of the pedagogical specialists from the innovative schools and external experts - scientific consultants.

The new School Innovation Labs are organized under the National Programme of the Ministry of Education "Innovation in Action". For the first time under the programme, innovative schools in the country worked together, developed projects and exchanged ideas in specific thematic areas.

The event was also attended by the teams of the six new school laboratories for the current school year. They got a chance to learn about the work of their colleagues and enrich their experience.

A special highlight of the programme was the presentation of an analysis by Prof. Dora Levterova from Plovdiv University. The analysis examines the development of innovation culture in Bulgarian innovative schools and outlines the directions for future development.