Education minister Prof. Georgi Valchev told parliament that school grants will rise by 20% on average from 2027, with the lowest payment going up first. The amounts have not changed since 2017.
The draft 2027 budget sets aside an extra €5m for school grants, and another €5m for grants to pupils in vocational and technical education.
Valchev was answering a question from MP Angel Yanchev of Vazrazhdane during parliamentary questions. Yanchev asked by how many euros and what percentage the money for grants will rise in 2027 compared with 2026, and what the lowest monthly sum will be.
The monthly grant is now between €10.74 and €30.68. The amounts are set in Decree 328 of the Council of Ministers of 21 December 2017, and the lowest is in Article 11, paragraph 1. Valchev said raising the minimum is the priority.
The minister said the Ministry of Education and Science has asked several times over the past few years for more money for higher grants when the budget was being drawn up. The issue was raised again with the draft 2027 budget, and the extra money has now been secured.
Valchev called this a "problem that many governments have neglected, and it is high time we reached out a hand to young people". He hopes that in the coming years, at the same pace, the rise in grants will be net and much bigger.
The minister also said grants for pupils in vocational and technical education should get priority in the coming years, because the labour market is looking for more and more such specialists.
Yanchev recalled that on 14 October 2026 prime minister Rumen Radev said the 2027 budget would include higher school grants.
"Vazrazhdane has been pressing for a 100% rise in school grants for more than a year. The current amounts are ridiculous and humiliating," Yanchev said.
The money for grants is earmarked funding from the state budget and is set each year in the State Budget Act. A school can add money from its own budget. The body that funds a state or municipal school, or a state or municipal centre for special educational support, can also give extra money.
Monthly grants are paid for school results and for social reasons, and are part of policies for equal access to education and for supporting children's personal development. One-off grants are paid in cases linked to a pupil's social situation or access to education, and for high achievement.
A school committee appointed by the head teacher decides the exact sums for each type of grant.