site.btaSeptember 15: Bulgarian Schools Open Doors for New Academic Year

September 15 marks the start of the new school year in Bulgaria. Many addressed teachers, school principals, students and parents on the occasion on Tuesday.

Education Minister Georgi Valchev said schools play a key role in helping children gain knowledge, confidence, critical thinking and responsibility. He praised teachers for the daily efforts behind students’ achievements and stressed the importance of pedagogical specialists and school principals in building effective teams. Valchev also thanked parents for their trust and cooperation, calling for continued collaboration between schools and families to help children become confident, knowledgeable and capable individuals.

Opening the school year at Hristo Botev Primary School in the village of Rakovitsa with the Education Minister, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said every Bulgarian child, including those in small and remote settlements, should have equal access to quality education. He described schools in such communities as essential to preserving local life and Bulgarian identity. He said funding has been secured to renovate the school building, damaged by a fire in 2022, with the aim of returning pupils there next school year. Radev said reforming education is an absolute priority for his administration. He pointed out that the goal was to change the current model where money is allocated based on the number of pupils and to place the quality of the students passing through the system at the centre of education. He expressed support for measures such as a preparatory zero grade for children struggling with Bulgarian, stronger discipline and clear rules in schools, as well as a single textbook each for Bulgarian language and literature, history, and geography.

President Iliana Iotova said September 15 remains a timeless and deeply cherished date for Bulgarians as she opened the new school year at Hristo Botev High School in Ruse. She highlighted the school's 188-year history and noted that Bulgarians had recognized the importance of education and teachers to the country's future nearly two centuries ago. The ceremony included a welcome for first-graders, student musical performances and the traditional ringing of the first school bell. Hristo Botev High School is one of Ruse's oldest educational institutions, with prominent alumni including Mihail Arnaudov, Petar Mutafchiev and writer Yordan Yovkov.

Parliament Chair Mihaela Dotsova attended the opening of the new school year at Hristo Smirnenski Primary School in Berkovitsa, where she studied through seventh grade. She described September 15 as a national holiday for Bulgarians and encouraged students to work hard, dream freely and have confidence in their own abilities, stressing that despite the appeal of artificial intelligence, "the strength is in your minds". Dotsova thanked her former teachers and educators across the country for their dedication to raising knowledgeable Bulgarians. The ceremony was also addressed by Berkovitsa Mayor Radoslav Naydenov and school principal Anna Rangelova, while Archimandrite Antim of Klisura Monastery officiated a blessing service.

Bulgarian Patriarch and Sofia Metropolitan Daniil opened the new school year at the 204th Angel Karaliichev Primary School in Sofia's Manastirski Livadi - West. He prayed for God's guidance for pupils and expressed hope that education would give them both knowledge and the moral strength to distinguish right from wrong and choose what is right. He stressed that recent events in society showed that education’s mission extends far beyond transmission of knowledge and includes developing moral values.

Ahead of the first day of the new school year, the Social Assistance Agency approved a one-off school assistance payment of EUR 153 for more than 127,000 pupils in grades one through four and eighth grade, with nearly 50,000 already receiving the first installment. More than EUR 3.7 million has been paid so far, while around 260,000 children are eligible. The assistance is paid in two installments, with regular school attendance required for the second. It is available regardless of family income or property and covers pupils in state, municipal and private schools. Applications can also be submitted online.