site.btaGERB-UDF Has Been Strongest, Most Consistent Supporter of Education System - Top-of-the-List Candidate in Stara Zagora

The GERB–UDF coalition has provided the strongest and most consistent support for the education system and will continue to do so, the coalition's top-of-the-list candidate in Stara Zagora, Krasimir Valchev, has told teachers at a meeting in the city, according to the GERB press centre. The discussion focused on investments in educational infrastructure and the need for broader support for both educators and children.

Valchev said that programmes to expand schools and kindergartens are producing tangible results in addressing space shortages and moving schools to a single-shift schedule. He pointed to the construction of a new kindergarten in one of Stara Zagora's neighborhoods as an example, noting that only two schools in the city still operate on a two-shift basis. Nationwide, 360 out of 2,400 schools were operating on a two-shift schedule in 2017, he said, adding that once the current investment programmes are completed, that number is expected to fall below 180.

The MP candidate also talked about a programme for building gyms and sports fields, reporting that four new facilities are under construction in Kazanlak municipality, with a total of 140 planned across the country.

Valchev identified securing more resource teachers, speech therapists, medical specialists, psychologists, and educational mediators as a key priority. He pointed out that the number of children with special educational needs has doubled over the past decade, creating an urgent need for additional resources.