Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has asked for a check on the prices of one-day trips for school pupils and kindergarten children, her office said. Parents are increasingly unhappy and report offers of €40-50 for a short trip, with no food or entry fees.
Delcheva sent letters to four bodies: education minister Prof Georgi Valchev, tourism minister Dr Ilin Dimitrov, Maya Manolova, head of the Consumer Protection Commission, and Assoc Prof Rosen Karadimov, head of the Commission for Protection of Competition. She wants them to give their views on how the prices could be checked for transparency and justification. She also asks them to check that consumer protection and competition rules are being followed.
Parents give specific examples. A trip from Sofia to the village of Zheleznitsa costs €45 per child. A school in Sofia's Mladost district offers a trip to the same place for €50, with no food. A trip from a town near Sofia to Museiko is €40, without the entry fee and food. The price to Pernik is €37, and from Sofia to the Rila Monastery it is €60, again without food.
A review of some of the offers parents posted shows that for distances of about 25-50 km and groups of about 45 children, the price averages €45 per child, without food and entry fees.
Delcheva says the question is how prices are set, what the real costs of organising a trip are, and whether the final sums are justified. She says that for many families this is a heavy financial burden, and for some it means the child cannot travel with the class. It is hardest for parents with two or more children.
"School trips must not be a privilege and must not deepen inequality between children," the ombudsman said.
Delcheva also expects the four bodies to suggest ways to make school trips more affordable. She says this must be done without breaking the rules that tourist services be provided legally.
The press office of the Ministry of Education said the ministry proposes changes to Ordinance No. 10 to tighten control over one-day school trips.