site.btaEducation Minister: Russian Taught as First Foreign Language in Only Ten Schools in Bulgaria

Russian is taught as first foreign language in only ten schools in the country, Education and Science Minister Krasimir Valchev told journalists in Sofia on Thursday. Valchev participated in a national conference on innovation in education and the jobs of the future, organized by the University of Telecommunications and Post in Sofia on Thursday. National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova also took part in the forum.

"We have Russian language classes in 40 schools. The large percentage of students study Russian as a second foreign language," he added. "They have chosen it because a large part of the students find it easier, the percentage is much higher in vocational schools, in schools with a concentration of children from vulnerable groups. A comparison was made that in Bulgaria a higher percentage of students study Russian than in Romania or Greece. This is normal, traditionally in Bulgaria more Russian was studied, the alphabet is the same. For a large number of these children, especially those with lower scores, it is easier to learn Russian than another language. The education system should, of course, provide opportunities for learning different foreign languages, but we cannot provide every child with its desire," said Minister Valchev.

He noted that the number and percentage of students studying Russian has dropped.

"The Bulgarian government has condemned the Russian military aggression in Ukraine, but it has never crossed our minds to condemn the study of the Russian language and we cannot put an equal sign between the government of a country, its culture and its language. In this sense, we do not foresee in the future to restrict the study of the Russian language in any way," he was adamant.