The Regional Department of Education (RDE) in Bulgaria accepts applications from refugees from Ukraine who want to enroll their children in kindergarten or school. Depending on the age, the class completed so far, the location and the desire of the parents, the refugee children and students are directed to a specific educational institution. The aim is to complete this preparatory work as soon as possible so that refugees can join the studies as soon as they receive official legal status in Bulgaria.

Children of parents with dual citizenship can be admitted to a kindergarten or school without going through the procedures for refugees who have only a Ukrainian passport.

A sample application has been published on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science, which parents from Ukraine must fill out and submit to the RDE. In it they must indicate the mother tongue of the child, whether he speaks to some extent Bulgarian or other European languages, where and which class he graduated in his country. Consultations can be obtained on the Hotline of the Ministry of Education and Science (+359) 0800 16 111.

There are trained experts in each RDE who have experience in the admission and training of children seeking or receiving international protection. A mechanism for the reception of refugee children in the Bulgarian educational system has existed since 2015. It was established in connection with refugees from the war in Syria.

In a number of Regional Departments of Education in the country are already receiving requests for admission of children from Ukraine in kindergartens and schools. Eight such children have already been assigned to the educational institutions in Burgas district. Two of the children - in second and third grade, will use the services of the Center for Special Educational Support in the regional city. The other two will be enrolled in 5th and 6th grade at one of the city's primary schools. The other four children will go to kindergarten and school in Sunny Beach, Sozopol and Nessebar.

Three sisters from Ukraine will go to school in Plovdiv - in fifth, eighth and tenth grade. The children will also receive psychological support from the school psychologist and will study Bulgarian as a foreign language within 120 hours. The girls arrived in Bulgaria from Kyiv with their parents. Their mother tongue is Russian and their grandfather is a Bessarabian Bulgarian.

A 16-year-old boy from Ukraine expressed a desire to go to school in Pleven. There are also many inquiries in Sofia and Varna.

A sample application for admission of refugee children to a Bulgarian kindergarten or school can be downloaded HERE.

/Ministry of Education and Science

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