Teachers, principals, university lecturers, and experts from the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) discussed the proposed amendments to the Ordinance on Preschool Education, which have been published for public consultation. The goal of the meeting, initiated by Deputy Minister Tanya Pancheva, is to reach the best decisions to support teachers and serve the best interests of the children.

A central topic of the discussions was the introduction of a common national toolkit for monitoring child development. Although observation is an established practice in kindergartens, the use of varied criteria creates difficulties. The unified framework proposed by the MES aims to introduce clear indicators without burdening teachers with excessive administrative duties, while simultaneously facilitating their daily work. Deputy Minister Dr. Tanya Pancheva emphasized that every voice and opinion will be carefully considered, expressing her gratitude to university staff for their expertise and to teachers for their daily dedication.

Educators with experience in the pilot testing of the model highly valued the idea of standardizing approaches. According to them, this will ensure greater data comparability and confidence when working in different regions of the country. During the meeting, it was pointed out that teachers already spend significant time observing and tracking each child, which is why it is important that the new unified system assists their work instead of adding further tasks. Evgenia Kostadinova, Director of the Preschool and School Education Content Directorate at the MES, emphasized that the instrument does not serve as a diagnostic tool, but as a means for objective tracking across six key areas:

  • Motor skills;
  • Fine motor skills;
  • Practical skills;
  • Cognitive development;
  • Language development;
  • Social-emotional development.

Experts from the Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski," who participated in the development, noted that the tasks are based on the natural behavior of children in the kindergarten. The system has undergone large-scale testing in 470 kindergartens, covering 2,100 children from the first age group and another 2,100 from the fourth, with approximately 500 specialists trained for the purpose. Representatives from academic circles, including those from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski," Trakia University, and Shumen University, raised important questions regarding the refinement of tasks according to age-specific characteristics.

A number of prominent lecturers and experts took part in the discussion:

  • Prof. Milen Zamfirov, Prof. Vesela Gyurova (Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski");
  • Prof. Dr. Marinela Mihova, Prof. Dr. Petya Karaivanova (VTU);
  • Prof. Dr. Vladimira Angelova, Prof. Dr. Yuriy Yanakiev, Dr. Nikolay Nikolov (PU "Paisii Hilendarski");
  • Prof. Dr. Yanka Stoimenova, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vyara Tsvetanova (SWU);
  • Prof. Dr. Pepa Miteva (Burgas Free University), Prof. Dr. Rumyana Papancheva (Burgas University);
  • Prof. Chavdar Sotirov (Shumen University) and Prof. Gencho Valchev (Trakia University).

Numerous principals and teachers also shared their opinions during the meeting, including Petya Yosifova (member of the Management Board of the Union of Leaders in the National Education System), Petya Radeva, Anelia Bozhanova, Simona Damyanova, Emanuela Lozanova, and Angelina Sultova. We remind you that the draft amendment to the Ordinance, published by the MES, also aims to improve language preparation to ensure the full integration of children upon their entry into the first grade.