/ world today news/ The “Law on Preschool and School Education” adopted by GERB has been in effect for nearly seven years. We are not yet fully aware of the results of the operation of this Act, although every year the Ministry of Education and Culture must publicly report in order to take action. This is not happening.
What is certain – the education system has not changed, but the results of students are getting worse. The law was used to rewrite the curricula in the subjects that are fundamental to our national self-awareness – literature and history, removing from them any knowledge that educates in a patriotic spirit, as well as any knowledge related to Russia and its role in the Liberation of Bulgaria and for the victory over fascism in 1945. So this will be the most important activity of the future representatives of the people – that these curricula be fundamentally changed and that the positive development in Bulgarian culture and history be reflected in them. And in this sense, we will insist on the return of the subjects “Bulgarian History” and “Bulgarian Literature”. Also, in the subject of “Civic Education” such meaningful questions will have to be included, which really formarit presented and educate the young generations in a spirit of solidarity and unity. Categorically: experts from the “Open Society” and the “America for Bulgaria” foundation will not be allowed to develop educational programs related to the Bulgarian language.
The results of the conducted external evaluations have not been discussed seriously enough either. They should be carefully analyzed, the specifics of the areas in which these schools operate should be taken into account, and such policies should be considered to help solve the problems. If necessary, to expand the forms of extracurricular work with socially weak students or with students whose native language is Bulgarian. Etc.
It should be mentioned that a positive step in the field of education is the increase, although not to the required level, of teacher salaries by Minister Krasimir Valchev (GERB). But this turned out to be only a small step and was not conceived as a sustainable policy to solve the crisis situation of lack of teaching staff.
For the development of school education, no breakthroughs were made during the administration of the quadruple coalition. The BSP resigned from the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as from the Ministry of Culture. And provided them to Continuing the Change. Today’s boast that the BSP has introduced free kindergarten and free textbooks for high school students matches the boast of Continuing the Change, which claims the same. It is good that these gains have become a fact, but they should also become a permanent and sustainable policy.
Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the operation of the Preschool and School Education Act is still missing. There is a lack of a nationally responsible view of the real problems and approaches to solving them. For GERB, education is rather the embodiment of neoliberal philosophy. For DB and PP – also. The BSP’s view on the development of education is not clear, as they have not stood up for a single serious issue in the last seven years. The BSP refused to work with the highly trained experts and began to rely on a very narrow circle of people loyal to the chairwoman.
The aim of the policy of the “Left” is, based on a publicly known analysis of the education system, to discuss – in a broad format – and quickly give a political answer to the problems in this sphere.
Regarding higher education and science. The right has consistently pursued a policy of violating the autonomy of higher education institutions and scientific organizations. A policy that aims to make them dependent on political power. At the time of the last government of the quadruple coalition, additional criteria were developed in the scientific sphere, which dealt a huge blow to all scientific fields related to Bulgaria, at the expense of those scientific fields that serve foreign interests. And if this is logical for the Bulgarian right, it is at least worrisome for the BSP, because the party supported this anti-national act. So, the “Left” will work to stabilize the autonomy of institutions of higher education and science. It will oppose any attempts and foreign pressure to close public higher education institutions. Because this will limit the access of young people to higher education in our country. I will insist on the development of these scientific fields, which are of national benefit – for the creation and development of innovative and production centers with scientists from the universities and BAS, for support of regional development, for the creation and development of centers for qualification and retraining of personnel, needed by businesses from the region, etc. For two years, the GERB government offered starting salaries for individual positions in these areas. And as with teacher salaries, now salary levels were not part of sustainable policy. Nothing was foreseen for the material base of the state institutions for higher education and science. It is still necessary to think about the expansion of the material conditions for practical activities, the renovation and construction of dormitories – for students, for young scientists, and in the regional centers – for students from the gymnasium stage. Steps should also be taken to develop academic campuses.
GENERAL POLICIES
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FINANCING
The first task of the new National Assembly is to adopt, with relevant updates, the Law on the State Budget. What funds need to be provided:
– Funds for raising teachers’ salaries. The Left will support the proposals of the trade unions to provide an additional 500 million BGN in the budget. to raise the salaries of teachers and scientists from state universities, BAS and Agricultural Academy. We will also offer:
– To develop and introduce a new formula for the formation of the delegated budget in education, dropping the principle “the money follows the pupil/student”. For secondary education: to take into account the place and social environment in which the school functions; additionally provide incentives for teachers who work in areas with a predominant number of students whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian; to guarantee the means for heating, electricity and water in schools; to provide sufficient funds for extracurricular activities, for sports and visits to cultural events; to provide funds for remote activities and maintenance of the school’s material base.
– To develop and adopt – at the legal level – principles for forming the starting salaries of those working in the field of education and science in municipal and state institutions, with the starting salary for a junior teacher being two and a half minimum wages (i.e. currently – BGN 2,000)., and for each higher degree – the starting salary should be increased by one minimum wage.
– For the State Higher Schools (SVU), BAS and Agricultural Academy (SSA), the starting salaries provided by the budget for the academic positions should be normatively recorded as follows:
– assistant – three minimum wages
– chief assistant – three and a half minimum wages
– associate professor – four and a half minimum wages
– professor – five minimum wages
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To increase the supplements for obtained scientific degrees – doctor and doctor of sciences, in state and municipal institutions. As a “doctor” you get half the minimum wage, and for a “doctor of science” – one minimum wage
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Upon retirement, the scientific degree supplements are retained and added to the pension amount. The scientific recognitions received during the active period of activity are also preserved – associate professor and professor.
II. ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES
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Every student entering first grade receives a free laptop or tablet.
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Every teacher and education worker (pedagogical specialist) gets a free laptop and free internet.
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Teachers who work in municipal or public schools, outside their place of residence, are provided with a free mobile phone.
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Young families, one of whom is a teacher, are given preferential loans to buy a home, with the interest being borne by the state.
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Teachers are provided year-round free transportation within the municipality or to the municipality in which they work.
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Teachers who show results in working with gifted students, but also with bilinguals, lagging behind and disadvantaged students are provided with additional remuneration in the amount of one minimum wage.
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The state ensures the qualification and retraining of teachers and other pedagogical specialists by paying for tuition and accommodation (day and boarding) at the place of study.
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The state, through the municipalities, supports the modernization of the learning environment – material and technological renewal of the school. Strict control for the implementation of the introduced standard for the learning environment. Expansion of sports opportunities for students and pedagogical specialists.
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Guaranteed access for teachers at preferential prices to cultural events.
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Introduction of incentive policies for the purchase of books and aids for teachers and other pedagogical specialists.
III. NURSERIES AND KINDERGARTENS
– To develop a strategy for renewing the material base of crèches and kindergartens, with the introduction of clear criteria for the construction or maintenance of crèches and kindergartens in relation to the number of children. In every Bulgarian region where there are children, a children’s center must be established.
– Policies for the development of activities related to mastering the Bulgarian language, for the development of physical and aesthetic culture, for socialization and adaptation.
– Provision of a doctor’s office with a pediatrician, a dental specialist and a nurse in educational institutions, and their pay and additional incentives are tied to the overall policy in education.
IV. SCHOOL EDUCATION
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Amendment of the Preschool and School Education Act. In the direction of:
– introduction of new types of schools to enable students who once dropped out to rejoin the education system with a view to acquiring a profession or part of a profession. Updating the traditions of the Bulgarian education system
– linking the programs of vocational schools and high schools (technical schools) with the economic situation in the region.
– at the municipal level – systematization of requests from businesses for personnel and development of strategic policies.
– elimination of the so-called cooperatives in education as an unnecessary and non-Bulgarian phenomenon
– abolition of the additional administrative activities introduced in the Law for teachers and pedagogical specialists
– expansion of the possibilities of the public-private partnership in the preparation of personnel with secondary education from the second high school stage: the state will provide funds for educational activities on the territory of the municipality under programs developed by non-governmental organizations related to the training of desperately needed personnel in professions, for which the municipality does not have the necessary institutions. For example, health assistants or health mediators.
– introduction of the status of a regulated profession for a teacher – i.e. regulating the amount of knowledge that each teacher should possess, as well as the practical skills that he should have acquired.
Vote with ballot No. 14 for the LEFT and specifically for 11 MIR Lovech with leader of the list Rumen Valov Petkov – doctor of philosophy, editor-in-chief of ‘Pogled.Info’ and in 25 MIR-Sofia with preferential No. 105. Tell your friends in Lovech and Sofia who to support!?
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