site.bta2025 Is Key Year for European Investments in Bulgarian Education - Education Programme Managing Authority Head

2025 is another key year for European investments in Bulgarian education, said Ivan Popov, Head of the Managing Authority of the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth 2014-2020 and Head of the Managing Authority of the Education Programme 2021-2027, during the closing conference held here on Monday. The event was part of BTA’s Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project. 

Popov recalled that on May 9, the final report on the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth was submitted. “With this, we have officially concluded it. And we can congratulate ourselves on significant results,” he pointed out, adding that 16 new research centre were built in Bulgaria under this programme, with over 1,000 scientists working in more than 350 high-tech laboratories in them, and over 90,000 student internships have been carried out under various projects.

“Over 160 vocational high schools have introduced the dual form of education and over 10,000 students are already studying in this way, and 250,000 children and students from vulnerable groups have been sustainably included in education,” Popov pointed out, noting that during the current programming period, the Executive Agency Programme Education manages over BGN 4 billion, aimed at education and science. “Every lev of these four billion is strategically directed towards the implementation of important national policies,” Popov emphasized.

He stated that by 2020, the priority was inclusive education and the reduction of students dropping out of the education system. After that, the priority is the pursuit of quality and modernization of education. "The introduction of the so-called STEM education, which is aimed at engineering, natural sciences and mathematics, has begun," he stated, stressing that BGN 500 million is currently being invested in the construction of STEM classrooms in each of the 2,225 Bulgarian schools, and only a week ago the construction of a National STEM Centre was launched as well, which will provide methodological support, teacher training and will establish a connection between the academic community, business and educational institutions.

According to Popov, 28 centers for excellence in vocational education and training are currently being built, as well as eight new kindergartens and schools and three new student campuses in Studentski Grad district in Sofia.

Popov also said that work is being done to modernize the curricula in vocational education, adding that it is planned to launch dual training in higher education as a pilot project.

BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. The project builds on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively.