site.btaEducation Ministry to Start Pilot Project with Google in 200 Bulgarian Schools

A pilot project between the Ministry of Education and Science and Google is about to start in more than 200 Bulgarian schools. These educational institutions will be able to use the tech giant's latest tools in education, including those based on artificial intelligence. This was agreed during a meeting between Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov with Google's regional managers for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The conversation took place in the framework of the world's largest exhibition in the field of education - BETT 2024, which is held in London. It was also attended by Deputy Minister of Education and Science Natalia Miteva and Prof. Naiden Shivarov, Director of the National STEM Centre, the press centre of the Ministry of Education and Science reported.

During the meeting the functionalities of some of the tools were presented. Google explained that since 2015 they have been using artificial intelligence functionalities that users often do not even suspect. Now, however, new solutions are being developed aimed at facilitating and supporting the daily work of teachers. Analysis shows that the tools they have provided schools with so far save teachers an average of ten hours a week, or more than one working day. With the features that these 200 Bulgarian schools will have access to, the time saved will be even greater. 

"Many schools in Bulgaria have had good experience with these products and that is why our country wants to support them and give them opportunities to use the latest solutions on a global level," Minister Tsokov stressed. It was agreed that the process could start as early as April, and schools will be selected based on activity.

Minister Tsokov was also a guest at Google's headquarters in London, which is responsible for more than fifty countries worldwide.

All educational institutions will have access to graphic design studio Canva's tools completely free of charge, for which an agreement is to be signed between the Ministry of Education and the company. This was agreed during a meeting between Minister Tsokov and representatives of the Australian company. They are a leading visual design platform in the world, and for years they have been developing special features aimed at education. Currently, around 60 million students and teachers worldwide use these functionalities on a daily basis, and the number of students covered exceeds 600,000.

Bulgaria and the Czech Republic will exchange experiences in curriculum development and teaching content. This was discussed during a meeting of Minister Tsokov with representatives of the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and their National Pedagogical Institute. During the meeting, the Czech experience in education was presented. In 2004, they made a major reform, leaving a great deal of autonomy to schools in terms of curricula. Minister Tsokov presented Bulgaria's policy in this area and expressed interest to continue the dialogue at expert level to discuss good practices that could be applied here.

Digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence in education will be the main topics on which Bulgaria and Poland will cooperate in the sector. This was agreed during a meeting of Prof. Tsokov with representatives of the Polish Ministry of National Education. The Bulgarian Minister visited the Polish stand at the BETT fair and talked with the companies and institutions participating in the exhibition. In recent years, Poland has invested about EUR 100 million in a platform similar to the Bulgarian Digital Backpack. In this regard, the two sides agreed to share experience which could be useful in finding the best and most workable solutions in upgrading and developing these platforms.

In London, Minister Tsokov also visited the largest Bulgarian Sunday school in Europe - "Vasil Levski". It has 526 pupils, 176 of whom also participate in extra-curricular activities. This year it celebrates 15 years since its establishment and during the visit its head Milena Vezenkova thanked the Ministry of Education for its consistent support over the years.