AIBEST Position on the Draft Law Amending the Preschool and School Education Act
2025-07-02 20:38
Key Points:
Support for reform: AIBEST welcomes the Ministry’s efforts to improve education quality, which is crucial for Bulgaria’s economic growth and competitiveness.
Concerns about the current draft:
The proposed amendments address isolated issues with partial solutions rather than taking a systemic, strategic approach.
Some changes—such as introducing religious education, repeater years in Grade 1, and changes to the status of math schools—lack expert analysis, political consensus, and convincing justification.
Recommendation for process improvement:
AIBEST proposes the formation of expert working groups with a clear mandate to review and improve the draft law before it is submitted to Parliament.
These changes should be aligned with long-term national goals, including updated curricula, assessment reforms, STEM promotion, and vocational education modernization.
Specific concern: Changes to math and science high schools:
The draft shifts admission pressure from Grade 7 to Grade 4 without solving the root problem—low STEM literacy.
Early specialization risks losing future STEM talent who develop interest later.
AIBEST calls for withdrawal of this specific proposal and urges a comprehensive STEM strategy targeting all students, not just a few elite schools.
Missing priority:
The proposal lacks a quality and value-added assessment system to track student progress and evaluate education policies.
Conclusion:
AIBEST reaffirms its readiness to actively contribute to the reform process and encourages deeper cooperation with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to achieve sustainable, evidence-based improvements in Bulgaria’s education system.