site.btaEducation Minister, OECD Education Director Schleicher Discuss School Reforms in Bulgaria

Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev met on Tuesday with Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and founder of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Education Ministry reported. They discussed reducing the burden of school curricula, strengthening interdisciplinary links, reducing educational inequalities, developing vocational education, and engaging families in the educational process.

The meeting also focused on upcoming education reforms aimed at developing skills, as well as continued cooperation between the Ministry and the OECD.

Valchev said that engaging parents as active allies in the educational process is a key priority for the Education Ministry. “We must turn the family from a client into a partner of the education system. We need to restore trust and the understanding that education is a shared mission,” he said. 

One of the main priorities discussed was the development of vocational education. Valchev said that while vocational training in areas such as economics, architecture and construction has maintained a high standard, other fields have experienced setbacks that now need to be overcome.

Valchev also emphasized the need for students to see a clearer connection between knowledge and real life through stronger interdisciplinary links and a more practical approach to education. At the same time, he highlighted the importance of attracting young teachers to the system, where they can learn from more experienced colleagues while contributing inspiration and dedication to the profession.

Schleicher stressed that parental engagement is fundamentally important for students’ education. He said that PISA studies in 2018 and 2022 showed a decline in parental involvement in Bulgaria. According to him, employer engagement in the development of vocational education is also important and remains one of the country’s challenges. He presented the possibility for Bulgaria to participate in an OECD workforce survey examining adult skills.

Schleicher praised highly Bulgaria’s efforts and noted that the country’s accession process to the OECD in the field of education had progressed very successfully. He said that Bulgarian students are successful in reproducing knowledge, but the system should place a stronger emphasis on its practical application. Schleicher also pointed to a positive trend of increasing teacher job satisfaction in Bulgaria.

He congratulated the Education Ministry on its policy of increasing teachers’ salaries but stressed that pay is not the leading factor in making the profession attractive. According to him, the attractiveness of teaching depends primarily on the quality of relations with parents, followed by communication with school principals and the work environment they create, and thirdly on how teachers’ work is evaluated.

Later on Tuesday, Schleicher also met with representatives of the Institute of Education.