2024-10-03 06:26:23
The percentage of children enrolled in kindergarten increased by nearly 10% in the last two years and reached 88% in the academic year 2023/2024. This was announced by the Minister of Education and Science, Prof. Galin Tsokov, at the capital’s kindergarten No. 50, where he launched the activities under the Ministry of Education’s “Strong Start” project. 1,500 kindergartens and schools with preschool groups will receive funding under it to support children with SOP, at-risk and gifted, qualification of pedagogical and non-pedagogical specialists, intensive work with parents, etc.
“Over the past year, we have worked hard in terms of early childhood development, as well as early childhood care and education,” said Minister Tsokov. He emphasized that the policies related to the work on the scope mechanism, the introduction of compulsory pre-school education for children from the age of 4, the abolition of fees for visiting nursery schools and kindergartens, the provision of free school supplies, are yielding results the minister.
Under the “Strong Start” project, implemented by the Ministry of Education and Culture and financed under the European “Education” program, a total of over BGN 105 million will be allocated for measures and activities that will be implemented over a period of 5 years. These include additional support for personal development of children with special educational needs, at risk, with chronic diseases and gifted children, general support for inclusion of children in preschool education, psychological support and implementation of health education and physical culture programs, intensive work with parents and raising the qualifications of pedagogical specialists and non-pedagogical staff. A total of 75,000 children and parents are expected to receive support.
For the first time, nursery groups in kindergartens will also be included within the project. The “Strong Start” project will enable a strong and equal start for different groups of children, emphasized Minister Galin Tsokov.
Kindergarten No. 50 is attended by 277 children between the ages of 1 and 6, and its team consists of 51 people, 26 of them are pedagogical specialists. The educational institution has a music hall, a physical education hall, an open and closed playground for road safety, sensory rooms built according to a project of the Ministry of Education and Culture, a ceramics studio. Principal Rositsa Alexieva said that from this school day, parents of children from the fourth preparatory group will have the opportunity to decide whether they want an afternoon nap for their children or learning and socialization activities.
Kindergarten children showed interest activities that develop their skills and talents – musical performances, a lego workshop and a sports competition.
Pedagogical specialists from the kindergarten, which will be involved in most of the project’s activities, presented good practices from the implementation of similar activities in the preschool education system and shared that they will upgrade them through “Strong Start”.
The event was also attended by the mayor and deputy mayor of the “Vazrazhdane” district, Stanislav Iliev and Dimitar Belov, Dr. Vanya Kastreva, head of the Sofia-city RUO, Lyubomir Yosifov, chief secretary of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Vanya Georgieva, project manager and expert for preschool education, Vladimir Stanchev, director of the “Management and implementation of projects” directorate, representatives of the Executive Agency “Education Program”, directors, teachers, parents, experts from the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Sofia-city RUO.