The education law – adventure or development? –

/View.info/ It is better to delay the educational law, but to finally hear the voice of the teacher during its drafting

Almost a decade has passed since the beginning of the development of a new law on education under the tripartite coalition. A project submitted to the National Assembly and remained there. His fate was followed by a GERB project, as well as by two more BSP projects under Oresharski’s government, which did not even manage to enter the National Assembly. Now two bills have been introduced again, but not governmental, but party bills – of the BSP and of the GERB. The increased law-making activity presupposes expectations for a good future for native education and future generations. But is this not just a hope with dubious grounds in the texts of the bills. We see that even while the discussions in the education committee are going on, protests and criticisms have started in the educational circles. The concerns are that not only do existing problems not being solved, but the provisions cause new, completely unnecessary difficulties related to the structure of the education system, to equal access and quality of education, to early school leaving, to the teacher’s place, qualifications and career its development, with the ways of financing and in general with the motivation of students and teachers.

The reader of the bills wonders whether their authors heard the voice of the Bulgarian teacher, whether they read the hundreds of proposals and, if so, whether they understood them. Hardly! The National Federation “Education and Science”, uniting teachers, school principals and professors in higher schools, is a civil structure that has held dozens of meetings and discussions dedicated to changes in educational legislation with teachers, educators, trade unionists, representatives of parent communities and employers from all over the country. We participated and were co-organizers in seminars and congresses of ISDUE – the “pedagogical international” of teachers from countries in the European Union. These meetings encouraged us to develop ideas different from the traditional ones in the pursuit of modernization of our secondary education. We are guided by the understanding that education is not a service, not a business, but a public good to which all citizens have the right to access. Such are the Bulgarian national educational traditions and there is no reason to deny them.

A major weakness of the current education system is its unified structure, poor in organizational forms. The principle of “unity”, understood as unification, contradicts the diversity of interests, goals and possibilities carried in the souls of hundreds of thousands of children and young people. Apparently, it is not understood that an educational system is stable when it offers opportunities for the development of everyone, and does not try to fit them into the bureaucratic mold of the equalizer. It may be that (mis)understanding is the reason for the attempts to crush one of the most successful Bulgarian schools – the mathematics high schools with the experience or to cross them out altogether or to be called by euphemistic names just to be part of the “unity” . Perhaps it is precisely the (mis)understanding of the idea of ​​profiled learning that is the reason why it was moved only in the last two grades, thereby casting doubt on the effectiveness of another group of proven schools – language and humanities high schools. Perhaps it is precisely the (mis)understanding that is the cause of the annual pains in carrying out the profiled training in the arts – music, choreography, visual arts. And last but not least, perhaps precisely the (mis)understanding of the need for richness and diversity of forms is one of the reasons for early school dropout.

In this regard, we offer our views, which we hope will enrich the published draft laws.

In order to create conditions for the full scope of students in the educational system, taking into account the specifics of their interests and abilities, as well as to counteract the tendency of early school dropouts, we propose to create vocational schools /parallels to primary and secondary schools/ , in which students from 6-8th grade or 9-10th grade will be educated. The purpose of these schools is the acquisition of basic education and a profession /for grades 6-8/ or a profession /for grades 9-10/. In addition to schools /general education and vocational/, similar forms of training can also be organized at the still existing inter-school centers for vocational training, where there is a suitable material base. Students who are at risk of dropping out can be covered in these schools or classes. We expect that their graduates will have greater chances to realize themselves and not fall into marginal environments where their existence is threatened by moral regression. Such forms are not unknown to our educational system. We remind you that similar ones existed a while ago, when the dropout rate was less than 1%.

For years, the fate of children with disabilities has been the subject of public attention – sometimes out of a sense of conscious responsibility, sometimes out of tearful affection, and not infrequently with not entirely pure business intentions. Needless to say, these children have the same rights of access to education as everyone else. But is this what the bills envisage? Not quite, or rather not at all! The ideas of closing or significantly limiting auxiliary schools is a reason to say this. Hundreds of children with medium and severe disabilities are educated in these schools, and their education in general education schools is impossible. Specialists work there, which are missing in other schools, the methods are different, even the interior is different (or at least it should be different). Excluding the current auxiliary schools from the education system will deprive hundreds of children of their future, and the proclaimed “equal” access to education would remain only as a cynical formula of the politicians for the ruined lives of these Bulgarian citizens. In the same way, the idea in the draft law of GERB can be interpreted to close the resource centers where children with milder forms of disability are taken care of, who study in general education schools and are cared for by specialists and teachers.

With a view to democratization of education, equal access to quality education and taking into account the needs of every citizen, we propose to introduce intensive study of a foreign language and information technology in all schools in the eighth grade. In this way, we will respond to the need for Bulgarian citizens to speak at least one foreign language at a good functional level, as well as to be able to freely use information technologies. The other expected effects are also important – society would be freed from the annual hysteria for admission to so-called “elite” schools, where a foreign language is intensively studied, parents would be relieved of the huge financial burden of private lessons, and the stress on children simply no need to comment.

Why “Choreography” is missing from the profile list is inexplicable. Probably according to some enigmatic bureaucratic norms. But this profile exists in the present, it is a vibrant and attractive way to preserve national traditions among children and youth. One might ask if this is the most important thing. Everything is important, everyone is important. And when the child has found satisfaction of his interest in school – it is a crime to restrict him.

Attempts to financially support private schools at the expense of public schools are categorically unacceptable and unfounded. The public education system is diverse enough to meet the needs of everyone. At the same time, the right to personal choice guarantees the possibility of education outside it – in private schools and kindergartens, where the education is paid for. The choice is between the two forms – public and private. They give the same rights, but they function under different conditions – one is free according to the constitution, and the other is paid. Once parents have made the choice to send their child to a private school, they have voluntarily accepted the conditions there and given up both the restrictions and the privileges of the public school.

There are many wishful provisions written down regarding the qualification of personnel. Let’s be clear – the Bulgarian teacher would like to, but cannot afford to pay to maintain his qualification. It is imperative that specific requirements for budget-financed qualification activities be recorded in the future law. We propose to determine a minimum number of 160 study hours for a 4-year period. It is no less important to consider where and who should carry out the teacher qualification. It is incomprehensible the ideas that this should be attributed to some new administrative structure, given that there is a directorate with the same subject of activity in the Ministry of Education and Culture. It is reasonable to use the resources – methodical and specifically scientific – of higher schools, which have personnel and material base, which are a guarantee of quality that no other structure (public or private) is able to provide. Again in this connection, and on the occasion of career development, it is good to think about the “methodist teacher” position. The functions of the position are related to methodical support of young teachers, as well as consultation and mutual assistance with colleagues. The holders of this position perform their duties as teachers in the school in which they have an employment contract, and their methodological functions are engaged in working with teachers at the municipal or city level. Methodist teachers do not have control functions and work under the guidance of subject matter experts at the relevant education inspectorates.

The functioning of any social system is predetermined by its financial security. For the past few years, the percentage for supporting education has been constantly moving – under the governments of the triple coalition and Oresharski, it increased, and under the governments of GERB, it decreased. This inconsistency doomed any attempt at reform to failure. The Education and Science Federation proposes to discuss a legal provision that would determine that the budget for education for each subsequent year cannot be smaller than the previous one – as a percentage and as a numerical dimension. Only then can accurate calculations be made and strategic goals set. Otherwise, the reform curves predetermined by the residual financing principle will continue.

The Education and Science Federation calls for a detailed and serious discussion of the bills. Do not speculate on the motive of insufficient time. The ten years have passed, let another year pass, but let the voice of the Bulgarian teachers be heard, even if it does not sound in the tonality expected by the authors. The Bulgarian teacher knows best what is needed, knows how to achieve it. We call for responsibility and for the protection of professional honor. It is the teacher, not well-paid educational adventurers, who will point the way and guide future generations along it.