Supportive School and Classroom Environment Ministry of Education and Science - Bulgaria

1. “The Right to Education for Every Child: Removing Barriers and Fostering Inclusion for Roma Children”Belgrade, June 2-3, 2009 Supportive School and Classroom Environment Ministry of Education and Science - Bulgaria

2. What must to do the ministry? *Discussion paper for decentralization of education, prepared by expert group from OSI, Bulgaria and LGI Budapest

3. Responsibilities of the school *Discussion paper for decentralization of education, prepared by expert group from OSI, Bulgaria and LGI Budapest

4. What have we done to ensure adequate systemic environment for schools? • Policy development • Allocation of financial resources • Curriculum development and standards • Pre- and in-service training • Development of teaching materials • Research and information systems

5. Policy development 1. Action Plan to the Decade of Inclusion of Roma (2005-2015) - section on education with following objectives: • Ensuring legal guarantees for equal integration and an institutional mechanism for the adequate integration of Roma children through amendments to the legal framework • Creating conditions for equality and adaptation of Roma children within the new educational environment • Desegregating schools and pre-schools in Roma settlements • Reducing drop-outs, and reintegrating children who have already dropped out • Promoting Roma culture and traditions • Improving attitudes towards Roma in the school community

6. Policy development 2. “Strategy for educational integration of children and students from ethnic minorities” whit specific strategic objectives: • Full integration of Roma children in ethnic mixed groups in kindergartens and of Roma students in ethnically mixed classes in schools (adoptive) outside Roma neighbourhoods • Improvement of the material and technical conditions in the integrating (adoptive) kindergartens and schools and improvement of the quality of education in them • Qualification and re-qualification of teachers to work in mixed classes • Elimination of the practice to put normally developed children into specialised schools • Counteracting to acts of discrimination in kindergartens and schools • Establishment of legal base and educational conditions for qualitative learning of Roma mother tongue • Training of qualified teachers of Roma language • Introducing the position of assistant teacher into the preparatory group, preparatory class and first class • Literalisation of elder illiterate Roma.

7. Policy development 3. Creation of annual database to allow for the inclusive kindergartens and schools to manage the process of desegregation to the MOES. Number of integrating schools - 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 years

8. Allocation of financial resources 1. Center for educational integration of students from /Roma/ minority established. The Center provides grants to schools amounting to €1 000 000 approximately. Most of the submitted projects are intended to increase the knowledge for Roma culture and provide for intercultural education. 2. Development of project “No school bell needed” for the students enrolled in 1 – 4 school grades, which experience difficulties in learning, arising from their poor knowledge of Bulgarian language. The project builds capacity of 1000 teachers to support the achievement of learning outcomes with children. The program amount is app. 1 000 000 €. 3. Development of the National program “With care for every child” for additional teaching time for students in 5 – 8 school grades to achieve better learning outcomes and ensure prevention of students’ drop-out. The grants are allocated to every school that shows lower outcomes during the external evaluation.The program amount is app. 1 000 000 €.

9. Allocation of financial resources 4. Human resources development program under structural funds: Grant scheme Promotion intercultural education and inclusion – app. 2 500 000 euro. 5. Human resources development program under structural funds : Grant scheme for out of school activities – app. 5 000 000 euro for 2007/2008 and app. 9 000 000 euro for 2009/2010.

10. Allocation of financial resources 6. Setting up of assisting groups of the learning process in extracurricural forms across the schools with prevailing number of Roma students and integrating schools Number of groups in 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 years

11. Teachers Qualifications 1. Pre-service trainings: • to include the modules for intercultural education and competences in Bachelor’s degree programs; • to establish a Center for support of intercultural education in Sofia University; • to develop a Master’s degree program.

12. Teachers Qualifications 2. In-service teacher trainings in the field of intercultural education – more than 2000 teachers and experts have attended different workshops. To ensure more stability, we used the school-team approach and municipality-based approach. Thus, the seminars equip teachers with the necessary skills leading to their awareness-raising of the need to build up partnerships, develop participatory approaches, improve their school environment and acquire knowledge, skills, values, experiences, which will enable them to act - individually and collectively – to find appropriate solutions to present and future school problems/issues, related to the school environment. In order to enhance the classroom management, the following main objectives need to be achieved: • respect for learners and their needs; • encouragement of participation; • create positive learning experience; • use the praise and avoid using threats; • encouragement of the personal integrity and self-esteem.

13. Teaching materials development • RAMO – Development of intercultural experience • Roma folklore • Education without prejudices • Intercultural education • Positive management of classroom • Intercultural environment and interactive methods • How to work better whit family • What I can to do whit my child

14. Main problems • Lack of instruments for quality evaluation • Lack of standards for intercultural development • Lack of researches and professional analysis • Lack of flexibility of the educational services • Lack of systematic professional services to support school policy • Insufficient participation of parents and local communities

22. Thank you!