site.btaPM Zhelyazkov Announces Resumption of Regular Meetings of Coordination Unit on School Dropout Prevention Mechanism

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov Thursday announced the resumption of meetings of the coordination unit responsible for implementing the mechanism for the joint work of institutions on the coverage, inclusion and prevention of dropping out of the educational system of children and pupils in compulsory preschool and school age. He spoke during a meeting of the unit held at the Council of Ministers.

Zhelyazkov said that some 74,000 children were brought back to school when the mechanism was introduced in 2017. This achievement placed Bulgaria among the top 16 EU Member States on this indicator and contributed to a roughly 9% drop in the school dropout rate. The Prime Minister said that "institutions seem to have been operating on inertia in recent years." "Today's meeting is intended to restore commitment at the highest level of central government to tackling this problem and fostering the sustainable development that began in 2017," he noted and recalled that the unit’s last meeting was held in 2023.

The Prime Minister said that regular meetings will resume and "will be coordinated by scope, beginning with all territorial structures of state power." He noted that frequent changes of regional governors had disrupted work at the regional level. "Each region will have a specific action plan with clear deadlines and will be required to do actual monitoring. Now is the time that the mechanism should resume work, while pupils are still on break,” Zhelyazkov said.

He said that the single-person authorities of central-government state power, particularly the Interior Minister, will be fully engaged. The Interior Minister will be tasked with scheduling a national meeting of regional police chiefs where the issue will be addressed and specific tasks will be assigned.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy plays a key role in the process, Zhelyazkov said. He announced the launch of a national campaign for the prevention of teen pregnancy, which remains a major factor behind lack of education in certain communities.

Addressing data gaps, especially regarding children who reside permanently abroad, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works to ensure the national population database is kept up to date and that municipalities exchange information.

Zhelyazkov said that the Education and Science Ministry must increase oversight of actual school attendance and crack down on fictitious enrollments. He stressed the need for accurate records to determine whether enrolled students are actually attending school.

He also assigned Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev responsibility for coordinating institutional cooperation. He emphasized the importance of including preschoolers, noting that early integration is key.