One of the key topics in the draft amendments to the Preschool and School Education Act is language integration, said Education mINISTER Krasimir Valchev during his visit on Monday to the village of Tarnava, Byala Slatina region. According to him, this measure will apply to children who do not know Bulgarian well, if they have previously lived in another country.
“If a child enrols in first grade or returns from abroad in sixth or seventh grade, they will begin only with Bulgarian language classes,” Valchev explained. “If the child knows no Bulgarian at all, the program will include 750–800 hours; if they know a little, perhaps having attended a Bulgarian weekend school, then 500 hours; and if they already know the language but still need serious support -250 hours. The idea is for the child to gradually begin joining other subjects – music, art, physical education, and catch up as much as possible. For those with 800 hours, catching up won’t be possible immediately, so we’re talking about a preparatory class for children who do not know Bulgarian at all. This is also common practice in other educational systems,” Valchev said.
He linked language integration with the issue of grade repetition.
“The question of repeating a grade is one we have discussed many times over the years,” the Minister said. “On the one hand, if a child lacks basic knowledge such as the Bulgarian language, it is better for them to repeat the grade, because otherwise they will continue to accumulate educational deficiencies in higher grades, and that is ultimately worse for the child. On the other hand, if a child repeats a grade, their risk of completely dropping out increases by 50%. If they repeat again in subsequent grades, that risk approaches 100%.”
“And if we are to talk about which is better, an exclusionary system or an enabling system, at the moment we have the latter, where children with basic deficiencie move up to higher grades. But an exclusionary system would be worse,” Valchev continued. “We have students who learn the multiplication table in sixth, seventh, eighth, even ninth grade. If we exclude them from school, will they ever learn it? No, they won’t. But if they move up, they still have a chance to learn it. The more time spent in an educational environment, the better.”
He added that a balance between the two systems must be found.
“For some, it might seem easier just to let children repeat a grade. But if 20% of society ends up excluded, no matter how well the rest live, we won’t feel that we live in a harmonious society. A core mission of the education system is to ensure that no one is excluded from society, and that can only be achieved by striving to integrate every single child effectively,” the Education Minister said.
Valchev emphasized that kindergartens play a crucial role for children whose families do not speak Bulgarian at home.
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