The teachers’ salaries are expected to increase by 10 % in Bulgaria at the beginning of next year.

This was announced by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Meglena Kuneva at the national teachers’ council which is taking place in the Arena Armeec hall in Sofia on Sunday.

The council is organised by the education ministry and brings together 12 000 teachers from across the country.

Its aim is to inform teachers of the forthcoming education reform and the new law on pre-school and school education which is due to enter into force on August 1.

Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov had assured Kuneva that education will be a priority in the next government budget.

Kuneva vowed that the education ministry will work towards making the average teachers’ salary above the average wage, which according to the latest figures of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) is BGN 812.

President Rosen Plevneliev, who also attended the council, called for putting education reform in the centre of public attention. Plevneliev added that the education reform should be a national strategic long-term priority.

 According to him, it was time to start treating education like investment and to control its effectiveness and results.

He highlighted that the reform will not be successful without the efforts of the teachers.

The aim of the ministry is to make the starting salary of teachers BGN 660 from the beginning of next year.

Kuneva assured that teachers will continue receiving ten salaries upon their retirement, with the aim being to increase this to ten and a half starting from next year.