© Velko Angelov
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The Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, the Minister of Education Acad. Nikolay Denkov and the Mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova will hold a joint meeting to determine the reason for unspent funds under the programs for construction of new kindergartens and nurseries in Sofia. This was announced after the government meeting by the spokesperson of the cabinet Lena Borislavova. The aim of the meeting will be to resort to their construction at a faster pace, given the shortage in the capital. In response to a question, Borislavova did not specify the exact value of the unspent funds.
The ambitious program of the Sofia Municipality for the shock construction of kindergartens until 2023, it seems, will end with only 4 completely new kindergartens by the end of this year – this is known from the report to the program adopted in late 2020, which 287 new groups are promised by 2023, Capital reported in September. In May this year, 12,314 children remained unaccepted in kindergartens and nurseries in Sofia after the second ranking. At the time, Mayor Yordanka Fandakova denied that her administration had failed with a promise to have kindergartens for all children in Sofia. After the first ranking, Fandakova tried to transfer the failure to regional mayors from the opposition, and then, when the caretaker government was already in power, she talked about the fact that the state should compensate more generously the parents of unregistered children. Again, there were promises and accounts of how many gardens would be built in the near future.
At the event in May 2020, Fandakova pointed out that ten new sites are being worked on – in the areas of Lyulin, Ilinden, Krasno Selo, Ovcha Kupel, Poduyane, Lozenets, Druzhba. “Izgrev”, “Iskar”, “Novi Iskar” and in “Vladaya” district. A check of “Dnevnik” showedthat in fact there are only four new constructions – two with a commissioning date this year and two for next. In other cases it is a question of repairs and expansion of existing buildings with outbuildings, which, however, the municipality keeps on documents as separate buildings and reports separately. They contribute to improving the conditions, but will not significantly change the number of children admitted.
In July 2020, the Council of Ministers approved a program for construction, extension, superstructure and reconstruction of nurseries, kindergartens and schools for the period 2020-2022. BGN 70 million were provided under it. Then the government “Borisov 3” approved also approved additional transfer in the amount of BGN 50 million from the budget of the Sofia Municipality for 2020 for construction, furnishing and equipment of kindergartens and nurseries, as well as for expropriation and purchase of land and properties for the needs of new places in the kindergartens of the territory of the municipality.
Today, the government approved more than BGN 3 million for the construction of new children’s facilities
gardens or buildings to existing buildings in 14 municipalities. The funds are provided under the same program.
The project proposals for kindergartens of the municipalities of Belitsa, Aytos, Burgas, Malko Tarnovo, Ruen, Dolni Chiflik, Kaynardzha, Tvarditsa, Botevgrad, Svoge, Opan, Chirpan and Yambol will be financed. Troyan Municipality will receive money for the reconstruction of the Hristo Botev Primary School building. At the same time, the funds provided for the construction of two new kindergartens in Blagoevgrad’s Elenovo-I and Balarbashi neighborhoods will be returned to the state budget. The reason is that the contracts with the contractors have been terminated. However, the projects can be implemented at a later stage.
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