Published on Eurydice (https://eacea.ec.europa.

eu/national-policies/eurydice)

Key Features of the Education System

The pre-school and school education system in Bulgaria includes kindergartens, schools, personal
development support centres, and specialized service units, and provides for education according to
state educational standards. The institutions within the pre-school and school education system are
legal entities.

The state education standards determine the levels of necessary general and vocational preparation.
They relate to various elements of educational environment including educational contents, textbooks
and school aids, teachers’ licensing and qualification, the assessment system, inspecting, etc.

The state pre-school education standard is a set of requirements related to learning outcomes and
defines:

fields of pre-school education;

pre-school education objectives and educational contents by fields of pre-school education;
requirements concerning learning outcomes for each pre-school education field in the
respective age groups.

The state general education standard is a set of requirements related to learning outcomes for each
general education subject at the end of each stage of the respective degree of education. It defines:

the objectives, the contents and the specific features of general education and preparation;
the general education subjects;
the requirements concerning learning outcomes for each general education subject for
acquisition of general education and preparation.

The state education standard for profiling preparation is a set of requirements on the learning
outcomes for each profiling subject at the end of secondary education degree. It defines:

the objectives, the contents and the specific features of profiling general education and
preparation;
the profiling general education subjects;
the mandatory training modules for each profiling general education subject and the
requirements on the learning outcomes for each and every one related to profiling preparation.

Education in Bulgaria is secular and free in state-owned and municipal schools. The right to education
is implemented in line with the principles for transparent management and predictability of the
education system development. Bulgarian citizens have the right to education and may enhance
continuously their education and qualification. No restrictions or privileges are allowed based in race,
nationality, gender, ethnic or social origin, religion or social status. Children and students with special
educational needs and/or chronic diseases are taught on integrated basis in kindergartens and in
schools.

Funding

Almost all kindergartens and these schools are municipal and they are funded by the municipal
budgets. Their annual budget is individual - formed on the basis of the uniform standard and the
number of the enrolled children.

The Primary and Basic Schools are mainly municipal – approximately 90%. They are funded
individually by uniform standard on the basis of the number of the learners enrolled in the school.

The schools providing General education are mainly municipal – 90%. They are also funded by the
municipal budgets individually by uniform standard on the basis of the number of the learners
enrolled in the school.

The Vocational schools are mainly state-owned – approximately 90%. They are funded by the state
budget through the MEYS. Their budgets are individual according to the amount of the standard and
the number of the enrolled learners.

The financial autonomy is given to the schools by the financial decentralization and the so-called
“delegated budgets”. The financial decentralization transfers rights and obligations that are related to
the constitution and execution of a budget (delegated budgets). Schools have more operational rights
in relation to budget constitution and expenditures, and execute their own impendented policies.

Teaching

The position of ‘teacher’ or ‘educator’ requires a completed higher education and an education
qualification degree ‘Master’, ‘Bachelor’ or ‘Specialist’ in a major from a professional direction in
accordance with the Classifier of higher education and professional direction and the ‘teacher’ or
‘pedagogue’ professional qualification area.

Teacher job vacancies are announced by headmasters at labor offices, Regional Education
Inspectorates and Labour Offices.
Selection procedures for teachers are decentralized. Schools bears responsibility for them, ‘open
recruitment’. This approach allows teachers to choose education institutions where they can find
fulfillment.

The introduction of differentiated payment for teachers’ on the basis of common for the whole country
basic criteria, specified by every school depending on its peculiarity has provided opportunity for
personal evaluation of the contribution of every teacher and stimulates their personal professional
development along a five grade scale: Junior Teacher, Teacher and Senior Teacher.

As for higher education The Higher Education Act, the Law on Academic Staff Development in the
Republic of Bulgaria and the Science and Research Degrees and Ranks Law set the conditions and
requirements for the academic staff as well as the decision making bodies at national, regional and
local level, covering the various academic career stages: from entry to the profession to retirement,
thus covering issues like recruitment, academic staff professional status, payment and enticement,
working hours and obligations, mobility, retirement etc.

The average academic staff monthly salary amounts to about 1 750 levs, varying for the different
higher schools and depending on the budget of the respective higher school and its Regulations.

Stages of the Education System

Early Childhood Education and Care

Early childhood education and care is managed by local authorities, and is not part of the State's
responsibilities, between the ages of 0 – 3. Between the ages of 3 – 6/7 it becomes part of the
responsibilities of the Ministry of Education and Science.

Kindergartens are institutions within the pre-school and school education system for raising,
education, and socialization of children from age of 3 up to the age of 7 (entering first class) in line
with the state pre-school education standard. Children aged 2 can also enter kindergarten in line with
the conditions and rules of the Law on Pre-School and School Education.

Kindergartens are municipal or private. Public kindergartens can be opened as an exception to the
Ministry of Defense or on the grounds of an international treaty. Kindergartens to the Ministry of
defense are aimed to raising, education and socialization of children of military and civil personnel of
the Ministry.

Central kindergarten is a municipal kindergarten, which is situated in the closest settlement of the
municipality or a neighboring municipality, where children from the settlements with no kindergarten
or a school providing mandatory pre-school education are raised, educated, and socialized.

Education and training of children in kindergartens is organized and provided in line with the Pre-
school Education State Standard. School readiness is assessed at the end of pre-school education
stage by comparing acquired learning outcomes with the learning outcomes described in the
standards. School readiness certificate is issued.

Pre-school education is included in the National Qualifications Framework of the Republic of Bulgaria,
which was adopted by Council of Ministers’ Decision No 96/2002. In this level knowledge, skills and
competences (self-dependence and responsibility, and communicative and social competences).

School Education

School education is mandatory from age of 7 on or from age of 6 according to parents’ assessment to
age of 16. It provides for education and up-bringing of students according to their individual needs
and in line with the requirements and expectations for a successful realization in civic society.

The school is an institution in the system of pre-school and school education, which train, educate and
socialize students and provide the conditions for the completion of grade and stage and / or to
acquire education. As specified in the Law on pre-school and school education cases, the school
provides conditions for acquisition of a vocational qualification.

Schools may provide compulsory preschool education of children in the terms and conditions of state
educational standards for pre-school education and state educational standard for physical
environment and information and library provision of kindergartens, schools and centers of support
for personal development.

Schools are state, municipal, private or religious. According to the type of training schools are non-
specialized and specialized.
According stage or level of education non-specialized schools are:

1. primary (I - IV class inclusive);

2. main (I - VII class inclusive);
3. schools (VIII - XII class inclusive);
4. united (I - X including class);
5. secondary (I - XII class inclusive).

Higher Education

The Republic of Bulgaria is also among the first countries which signed in 1999 in Bologna the Joint
Declaration for European Higher Education Area.

The higher education governance is performed at state and institutional level. The state is responsible
for the development and the implementation of a long-term national policy and establishment of
conditions, which guarantee the academic autonomy of higher education institutions, the quality of
education, and the provision of adequate conditions for performing scientific research.

The institutional management is performed according to the rights for an academic autonomy of the
higher education institutions, but the state assists for development of modern institutional
governance through distribution of resources on a competitive basis. Bulgaria works actively towards
building up of a favorable environment for modernization of higher education, in line with the needs of
the society and of the business. Good practices are studied and multiplied. Possibilities for
introduction of new models, which are related to application of modern approaches for institutional
governance leading to better financial management, are studied.

Adult Education

Adult education is a priority and takes many forms, ranging from formal class-based learning to self-
directed and e-learning. Local authorities are responsible for framing adult education policies for their
respective regions. Adult education is most often provided by Licensed Vocational Training centers, as
well as Trade Unions.For a brief description of the different levels of the education system and other
related topics such as teachers and special needs education, please read the Organisation and
Governance [1] and of each educational level: Early Childhood Education [2], Integrated Primary and
Lower Secondary Education [3], Upper Secondary Education and Post Secondary Non Tertiary
Education [4], Higher Education [5] and Adult Education and Training [6]

For a brief description of other main topics regarding the national education system, please read the
introduction article of Funding education [7], Teachers and education staff [8], Management and other
educational staff [9], Educational support and guidance [10], Quality assurance [11], Mobility and
internationalisation [12]

For information on recently adopted or planned reforms and policy measures, please consult topic
Ongoing Reforms and Policy Developments [13]

While Eurypedia provides comprehensive and comparable information, further information may also
be found on the websites of the Ministry of Education and Science [14], as well as that of the National
Statistical Institute [15].

Structure of the National Education System

/national-
policies/eurydice/file/diagramsstructures201819_enDiagram
s_Structures_2018_19

Source: Eurydice 2018/19

Common European Reference Tools Provided by the Eurydice Network

National Student Fee and Support Systems [16]

Organisation of the Academic Year in Higher Education [17]
Organisation of School Time in Europe [18] [19](Primary and general secondary education)
Recommended Annual Instruction Time in Full-Time Compulsory Education in Europe [20]
[21](Presented by grades/stages for full time compulsory education as well as by subject and
country.)
Teachers and School Heads Salaries and Allowances in Europe [22] (Salaries and allowances of
teachers and school heads at pre-primary, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary
education levels.)

DID YOU FIND WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR?

YES
NO

Contact *

Message *

Leave this field blank

Source URL: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/bulgaria_en

Links
[1] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Organisation_and_Governance
[2] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Early_Childhood_Education_and_Care
[3]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Single_Structure_Education_(Integrated_Primary_and_Lower_S
econdary_Education)
[4]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Upper_Secondary_and_Post-Secondary_Non-Tertiary_Educatio
n
[5] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Higher_Education
[6] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Adult_Education_and_Training
[7] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Funding_in_Education
[8] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Teachers_and_Education_Staff
[9] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Management_and_Other_Education_Staff
[10] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Educational_Support_and_Guidance
[11] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Quality_Assurance
[12] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Mobility_and_Internationalisation
[13] https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Bulgaria:Ongoing_Reforms_and_Policy_Developments
[14] http://www.minedu.government.bg/?
[15] http://www.nsi.bg/en/content/4769/education-and-lifelong-learning
[16]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/national-student-fee-and-support-systems-european-hig
her-education-%E2%80%93-201718_en
[17]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/organisation-academic-year-europe-%E2%80%93-20181
9_en
[18]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/organisation-school-time-europe-primary-and-general-se
condary-education-%E2%80%93-201819_en
[19]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Publications:The_Organisation_of_School_Time_in_Europe._Primary_and
_General_Secondary_Education_%E2%80%93_2016/17
[20]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/recommended-annual-instruction-time-full-time-compuls
ory-education-europe-%E2%80%93-201718_en
[21]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurydice/index.php/Publications:Recommended_Annual_Instruction_Time_in_Full-time_Com
pulsory_Education_in_Europe_2015/16
[22]
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/teachers-and-school-heads-salaries-and-allowances-euro
pe-201617_en