site.btaBulgaria Is World Leader with Share of Spanish-Learning School Students

Bulgaria ranks first in the world in terms of the percentage of the total number of students in the education system who study Spanish, Spain's Ambassador to Bulgaria Alejandro Polanco Mata told the Minister of Education and Science Galin Tzokov, Tzokov's Ministry reported on Friday.

According to the data, more than 12% Bulgarian students are taking intensive Spanish-language classes, compared to less than 1% in the United States. Poland and Canada come second and third after Bulgaria with 1.65% and 1.48% respectively.

Tzokov said that over the 2022-2023 school year, 29,584 students from 179 schools in Bulgaria are studying Spanish. This ranks Spanish as the third most popular language among Bulgarian students after English and German. Tzokov praised teachers for their hard work, as numerous schools that teach Spanish classes have proven their good reputation among children and their parents.

Tzokov also expressed his gratitude to the Spanish Ambassador and Spain for their consistent efforts over the years to promote studying Spanish language and for their assistance to Bulgarian schools.

The Minister said: "Much has been done over the years in school education cooperation between our two countries. Today, we have to identify common actions to improve the partnership in higher education as well". The Spanish Ambassador presented the steps in this area and announced events in preparation within the Spanish EU Presidency to build on the results achieved. Work is underway to create scholarships for Bulgarian students at Spanish universities.