The Educational System of Bulgaria. Education around the World.

Overview & Synopsis

The document describes the educational system of Bulgaria which is in the process of being modified in response to decisions made by the Bulgarian Communist party at the end of the 1960s and during the 1970s. One of the main purposes of reform was to lower the age by which a student completes secondary education from 18 to 16, and thus increase Bulgaria's available manpower. A short history of Bulgarian education is given first plus a summary of education administration, planning, financing, grading, and enrollment. Infants may be admitted to nursery schools at one year and remain there until the age of three, when they may attend kindergarten. They then attend intermediate and secondary schools until they graduate at 16 years of age. Four post-secondary school options are available. Vocational schools train semiskilled and skilled workers, technical institutes train technicians, and semi-higher institutes train teachers, railroad, post office, telephone, and telegraph workers. The higher education institutes are either general universities or specialized institutes in areas such as agriculture, finance and economics, and music. A list of higher institutions is provided. The document gives some detail on teacher education, continuing education, special education, and extracurricular activities. A glossary and bibliography conclude the document. (BC)