site.btaUNICEF Bulgaria: Thousands of Pupils, Parents, Teachers Work Toward Ensuring Safer School Environment

More than 12,000 pupils, over 1,000 teachers, and some 6,000 parents have taken part in initiatives aimed at creating a safer, more secure, and positive learning environment in the classroom, UNICEF Bulgaria said on Tuesday. The activities have been carried out under the Steps Together programme implemented jointly by the Bulgarian Education and Science Ministry and UNICEF.

Caretaker Education and Science Minister Prof. Galin Tsokov and UNICEF representative to Bulgaria Christina de Bruin participated in a workshop held at a school in downtown Sofia earlier in the day.

Tsokov praised the pupils for their dedication and the support they offer to each other, as well as UNICEF for being constantly on the lookout for opportunities to support the education system. He said that recent research suggests that the best way to deal with aggression is to develop a positive educational environment.

Christina de Bruin said that the evaluation of the programme has proven that Steps Together delivers results and supports the creation of a violence-free school environment. She highlighted the pressing need for programs that promote social and emotional learning and build safe environments. The UNICEF representative praised the Bulgarian Education Ministry for adopting this approach.

Under the programme, students help their peers to solve various problem cases at school. In this way, children get to confide, share their worries, and find support and guidance in resolving a specific case.

Steps Together was launched in 2020 in five schools. Two years ago, the results indicated a significant improvement in the educational environment in these schools and strengthening of the school community cohesion. In order to foster good school practices, the pilot project was made into a separate module of the Education Ministry’s national programme supporting the personal development of children and pupils in 2023. Thirty-two schools received a total of BGN 300,000 to implement various projects, with almost 12,000 pupils, over 1,000 teachers, and 6,000 parents having actively participated in the activities.

Given its success, in 2024, Steps Together was established as a stand-alone national programme on aggression-free schools and safe school environments. The BGN 500,000 programme will be joined by kindergartens for the first time in the 2024/2025 school year.