Balgarianovinite.com The second day of the 19th Annual Conference of the Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad (ABSA) was held at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia on Wednesday. The event was attended by representatives of Bulgarian institutions, diplomats, teachers from Bulgarian schools abroad, and guests. They discussed the challenges as well as the prospects facing Bulgarian schools abroad and exchanged experiences.
Held under the auspices of Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev, the three-day conference is co-organized by the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (EABA) and hosted by Sofia University’s Department of Bulgarian as a Foreign Language.
After a general meeting was held on the first day of the conference exclusively for members of the ABSA Board of Directors, the second day opened with a formal ceremony, followed by a roundtable discussion with representatives of the Education and Science Ministry, EABA, the Foreign Ministry and parliamentary committees. Among the key topics discussed were the strategic development of Bulgarian education abroad, the financial sustainability of Bulgarian schools, the recognition of the Bulgarian language within foreign education systems, access to higher education in Bulgaria, as well as issues related to the quality of education and the professional development of teachers. There was also a presentation of textbooks, teaching aids, and educational resources by the participating publishers.
The conference opened with addresses by ABSA Management Board Chair Zornitsa Gogan and ABSA Spokesperson Simona Zaharieva. Greetings from President Iliana Iotova and the Deputy Chair of the National Assembly Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad, Ivet Goranova, were read during the opening ceremony.
In his address, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Senya Terzieva said there are 401 Bulgarian Sunday schools in 43 countries on six continents, with nearly 40,000 students and over EUR 8 million in state funding. She described this as “one of the most successful policies of the Bulgarian State for working with the diaspora”. She announced that currently, through various State-funded programmes, Bulgarian universities have become equal partners, as a scientific and educational structure for higher education training. “We are open to accepting graduates of European schools and outside Europe to become part of the higher education system in Bulgaria,” said the Deputy Minister.
Sofia University Rector Eliza Stefanova said Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad can count on support from Sofia University, which she called a temple of knowledge. “We recognize the efforts you are making for this cause, and I want to express my deep gratitude for the dedication you bring to your work. This is also reflected in this year’s conference theme, which emphasizes that every Bulgarian child, wherever they are in the world, should know their roots, language, ancestry and history,” she told the representatives of Bulgarian schools abroad. She expressed the hope that ever more of their pupils will return to Bulgaria.
The roundtable discussion was divided into three thematic panels. Participants in the first panel discussed the funding of Bulgarian schools abroad. They agreed on a proposal that the Ministry of Education fully cover the rent for schools that lease halls or classrooms, as well as renovation costs for those schools affiliated with embassies that do not pay rent. Another issue raised by teachers during the conference was whether there could be separate funding for textbooks, distinct from the general budget. The third proposal made during the roundtable organized by ABSA was to launch an advertising campaign in Bulgaria and abroad to inform parents about the activities of Bulgarian schools abroad.
In the second panel of the roundtable, the participants discussed recognition of Bulgarian language instruction within the educational systems of European countries, ensuring better access for students from Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad to higher education in Bulgaria, and equalizing the rights of students from historical and large communities abroad.
The third panel focused on the quality of the educational process, opportunities for implementing various educational models, and the need for education to be tailored to the specific characteristics of Bulgarian communities abroad.
Within Wednesday’s conference, ABSA and the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The document was signed by ABSA Chair Zornitsa Gogan and EABA Executive Director Rayna Mandzhukova, who said that the two institutions had always worked closely together, even without formal protocols, and expressed confidence that this partnership would continue in the future. For her part, Zornitsa Gogan announced that during the ABSA General Assembly on July 21, Mandzhukova was unanimously elected as honorary member of the Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad.
An award ceremony honoured Bulgarian schools abroad, ambassadors, diplomats and representatives of institutions supporting the Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad. Awards were presented to Education and Science Committee Deputy Chair Krasimir Valchev, Education of Bulgarians Abroad and School Network Directorate head Nataliya Mihalevska, ambassadors, diplomats, former education minister Sergey Ignatov, and other supporters of Bulgarian education abroad. ABSA also honoured Bulgarian schools abroad celebrating milestone anniversaries this year, including St. Sofia Bulgarian Sunday School in Chicago on its 50th anniversary and four schools in Cyprus, Germany, the United States and Spain marking 10 and 15 years of operation.
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