Bulgaria Faces Challenges in Social Spending, Education, and Healthcare
Bulgaria is falling behind the EU average in terms of government expenditure as a percentage of GDP, particularly in the areas of social protection, education, and healthcare
Minister of Education and Science Galin Tsokov has announced a significant adjustment to pupil attendance policies in an effort to better address diverse student needs. Pupils will now be permitted to miss up to 15 days of school for family reasons, a substantial increase from the previous allowance. This adjustment, facilitated with a parental note, aims to cater to students who may require time away from school due to illness or family issues.
The current policy permits three days off with a request to the form teacher and an additional seven days with the sanction of the school principal. The Ministry of Education and Science's press center clarified that the new regulation aims to streamline the process, making it more accessible for parents and alleviating the burden on school principals.
Minister Tsokov emphasized the collaborative effort with various parents' associations in shaping this policy change. He acknowledged the occasional necessity for a child to stay home due to unforeseen circumstances, emphasizing the need for flexibility in the education system.
"We have been discussing this issue with various parents' associations in recent months. Sometimes a child has to stay away from school due to illness or a family problem. That's why we are making a change in the Inclusive Education Ordinance - we are increasing these family-related absences to 15 for each school year," Minister Tsokov explained.
In addition to this adjustment, Minister Tsokov revealed plans for the development of a standard for the quality of education in the coming weeks and months. This standard will facilitate self-assessment for individual educational institutions, providing an external perspective on their performance based on specific quality indicators.
"We will have an insight into which schools are doing well, which are doing worse, and which are not doing the job," Tsokov stated, emphasizing the goal of promoting transparency and accountability within the education system.
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