site.bta18th Annual Conference of Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad Opens in Veliko Tarnovo

The 18th Annual Conference of the Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad (ABSA) was officially opened on Wednesday with an event in the ceremonial hall of the University of Veliko Tarnovo (VTU) in this country’s medieval capital. This year, the forum is being held under the theme: “Learning through play. Playing to learn. Creativity and active learning in Bulgarian schools abroad”. More than 70 representatives of Bulgarian educational institutions from around the world are taking part, according to the official ABSA website.

ABSA’s Annual General Assembly was held on Tuesday.

Among the official guests present at the opening of the Annual Conference were Rayna Mandzhukova, Executive Director of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad; Milen Mitev, Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio; Anna Ivanova, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at VTU; and Radoslava Nedyalkova, Chair of the Association of Bulgarian Folklore Ensembles Abroad. There were also representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Culture, the University of Sofia, and the University of Plovdiv.

During the ceremony, outgoing ABSA Chair Petya Tsaneva formally handed over the role to her successor Zornitsa Gogan, Director of the Rayna Knyaginya Bulgarian Sunday School in Dublin.

The Association’s annual awards were presented at the event. Among the recipients of plaques and certificates were the Rodna Stryaha Bulgarian School in Aradippou, Cyprus; the “Az Buki Vedi” Sunday School in Cologne, Germany; the Ivan Vazov First Bulgarian School in Armagh, Northern Ireland; the Rayna Knyaginya Bulgarian Schools in Dublin and Cork, Ireland; the Vasil Levski Bulgarian School in Shannon, Ireland; the Zvanche Bulgarian School in London, UK; and the Zora Bulgarian Cultural and Educational Centre in Richmond, US.

The programme also includes discussions on the future of Bulgarian Sunday schools around the world, thematic panels on cultural heritage and literature in education, and a screening of the documentary Mila Rodino (Dear Motherland) by director Stanimir Trifonov, which explores the story of Bulgaria’s national anthem.

Alongside ABSA’s Annual Conference in Veliko Tarnovo, the Association of Bulgarian Folklore Ensembles Abroad is hosting the first Festival of Bulgarian Ensembles from Abroad, featuring performances from nine folklore groups and two solo artists representing eight different countries.

ABSA was founded in 2007. Its first annual conference, titled “Bulgarian Schools Abroad and the New State Policy for Bulgarians Abroad”, was held on July 16, 2008, in the Bulgarian Parliament in Sofia.