site.btaLanguage Integration Proposed for Students with Limited Bulgarian Proficiency

Draft amendments to the Pre-school and School Education Act, tabled to the National Assembly, envisages the introduction of language integration measures for school students who do not have sufficient knowledge of the Bulgarian language, Education and Science Minister Krasimir Valchev told reporters on Monday following a coordination meeting with the regional governor of Razgrad.

Valchev explained that the meeting addressed all current issues in the education system, including efforts to ensure school attendance, student performance, and more specific matters such as school transport. “We discussed educational outcomes, but the main focus was on Bulgarian language performance,” he said.

The Minister noted that he has received invitations from across the country and is making efforts to visit as many municipalities, regions, schools, and kindergartens as possible. During these visits, he engages in dialogue with teachers, school principals, municipalities, and regional governors, as they are key institutional partners in the education system.

Asked whether specific measures had been discussed in response to the low academic results of students in the Razgrad region, Valchev explained that, in his view, the core issue is insufficient proficiency in Bulgarian. According to him, low achievement in Bulgarian language leads to poor performance across other subjects as well.

Part of the education challenges in Razgrad region are linked to the large number of "bilingual" students in schools and their limited opportunities to practice Bulgarian outside the classroom, as much of the local population belongs to ethnic minorities in which Bulgarian is not commonly spoken at home.