2024-05-11 22:24:12
- Mayor Terziev wants more compensation
- 16 new buildings are under construction, 12 will open by the end of the year
9,700 children were left without a place in kindergartens and nurseries in Sofia after the first ranking. This year
23,974 children applied – about 300 more
from the last one.
The number also includes the record 12,350 requests for nursery groups. The problem is clear – more and more families live in the capital, and the provision of new places in the gardens is not going at the same pace. In addition, there are vacant municipal lands, as well as the increased requirements for construction.
There were 14,274 vacant places in the first classification, and 12,436 in the last one, with 5,868 places for nursery groups and 8,406 places for kindergarten groups. This means that 9,700 children remain outside the municipal all-day care system for the time being.
At the first classification, 11,193 children were accepted, which leaves 3,080 more free places for the next classifications. The second ranking should be ready on May 23, and the third ranking on June 7. Judging by the data from previous years, by the beginning of the school year, it is expected that about 3,000 more children will be accepted.
Sofia has 198 municipal kindergartens, which care for approximately 44,000 children. There are 24 independent municipal nurseries with approximately 2,000 places.
The Metropolitan Municipality continues the construction of 16 new garden buildings, as well as extensions of existing ones. By the end of the year, 12 of them are expected to be ready, which will reveal themselves
new 1,400 places for full-day care
Parents of children from these areas will receive emails when admissions are announced for the new groups. Thus, they will be able to make applications in the system for the current rankings – until the end of 2024, which will be carried out from August 30 to November 29.
The largest new kindergartens will be in the “Vrabnitsa” region (12 groups), the “Triaditsa” region (8 groups), the “Vitosha” region (7 groups), the “Ovcha Kupel” region and the “Iskar” region (6 groups). .
“Lack of places in kindergartens and crèches is one of Sofia’s most persistent problems. It would not have been like this if it had been systematically worked on for years, not only with promises, but also with real actions and will”, Mayor Vasil Terziev wrote on Facebook.
He defined the lack of places for full-day care for children as
permanent harassment for the whole family
But he reminded that there is no way to deal with them with a magic wand.
From April 1, the salary increase in the children’s and medical healthcare sector by 30% is in effect – not only because everyone deserves a decent reward for their work, but also to start attracting new staff for the new kindergartens and nurseries, Terziev also recalled .
Families whose children do not enter are compensated to enroll them in private kindergartens. The money is allocated from the state budget with a decision of the Council of Ministers, the latest of which is from April and compensates for January and February with a total of BGN 1.17 million. The money goes mainly to Sofia – for 1,542 children from the age of 3 until they enter first grade, or nearly BGN 500 per child.
By the end of June, the municipality planned to propose changes to the regulations to compensate for these costs, Mayor Terziev announced and assured: “Together with the regional mayors, we are identifying the problems and formulating solutions for the benefit of the parents.”
After the end of the general ranking, a working group will be formed to propose by the fall
how to improve admission order
A roadmap of ideas and solutions will be created. And by the end of 2024, an up-to-date construction program based on a model for forecasting the needs of nurseries and kindergartens by region will be submitted to the SOS. The different parties do not have the right to different goals – it is our duty to ensure the upbringing, education and development of our children, appeals the mayor of Sofia.