site.btaBulgaria Provides Education to 1,400 Ukrainian Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral Students

A total of 1,400 Ukrainian undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students are studying in Bulgaria. Of them, 1,100 are enrolled in state-owned universities, 300 in private universities and 760 live in halls of residence, Deputy Education and Science Minister Maria Gaydarova said at a roundtable discussing a report by the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Gaydarova told the forum organized by the Council of Europe that 2,250 Ukrainian children and school students attend Bulgarian schools and groups for pre-school education in kindergartens, the Education Ministry said. All children and school students who seek or have been granted temporary protection have access to free education in state-owned and municipally owned kindergartens and schools, Gaydarova said.

The education of asylum seekers and beneficiaries is enshrined in key documents. Arrangements are in place for the referral and admission of students from Ukraine, with a team of experts fluent in Russian or English working in each regional office. Information hotlines are also in place. The National Electronic Information System for Pre-school and School Education also helps applicants. The Education and Science Ministry finances classes for children and students learning Bulgarian as a foreign language. A teaching manual on Bulgarian as a foreign language as well as psychological support and support for personal development are available.

The Council of Minsters has allocated to Bulgarian candidates from Ukraine 1,000 out of 2,000 places for foreign candidates in the 2022/2023 academic year. The cabinet also provided BGN 300 in a one-off allowance to Ukrainians studying in Bulgarian universities. The Centre for Assessment in Pre-school and School Education conducts exams on the level of proficiency in the Bulgarian language for foreigners practising medicine.

The Education and Science Ministry, along with the International Organization for Migration and the UNHCR, has organized two workshops in Burgas and Varna on access to education for children and students seeking and granted international or temporary protection.