The Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AIKB) expressed strong support for the proposed reforms in high school curricula aimed at increasing the hours of core general education subjects. This was made clear in a letter from AIKB Board Chairman Rumen Radev to the Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev, received today by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).
The proposal for changes in curricula, developed by the Ministry of Education and Science (MES), was published at the end of July and provoked mixed reactions among different sectors of society.
In its letter, AIKB expresses full support for increasing the hours of key subjects such as Bulgarian language and literature, mathematics, chemistry and environmental protection, biology and health education, physics and astronomy, geography and economics, history and civilizations, as well as civic education.
The current economic development requires children to possess a wide range of complex skills, based on more competencies and corresponding to modern realities.
Rumen Radev emphasizes in the letter that the increased number of hours in these subjects will improve the quality of education, motivate students to put in more effort, and ensure that they acquire the necessary competencies for future professional realization.
Despite support from AIKB, the proposed changes met resistance from other sectors. Yesterday, the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA) expressed serious concerns about the new framework curricula for vocational education. According to BHRA, the proposed changes will harm the tourism business as they envisage a reduction in practical hours in upper high school grades.
The association warns that this will lead to a decrease in the quality of education and, consequently, the preparation of personnel for the sector. BHRA insists that the volume of hours for professional training in tourism should be maintained or even increased to ensure adequate training of future specialists in the industry.
These conflicting reactions highlight the complexity of educational reform and the need for a balanced approach that takes into account the needs of both general education and specialized vocational training. It remains to be seen how the MES will respond to these different viewpoints and whether adjustments will be made to the proposed changes to achieve consensus among the various stakeholders.