About 30% of Children in Refugee Centers go to School

Only about 30% of children in refugee centers in Bulgaria are enrolled in school. The main barriers to their inclusion in the education system are the language barrier and the unwillingness of children and parents to stay for a long time in Bulgaria.

This was made clear during a conference on the training of migrant children, organized by the Syndicate of Bulgarian Teachers.

At the migrant centers in Bulgaria, according to latest data, there are 359 pre-school and school-age children. Of them 112 children were enrolled in the school at the beginning of this school year, Deputy Minister of Education Denitsa Sacheva explained. She added that at the moment 10 children did not attend the lessons as they left the country.

By contrast, there are 16 new applications for school entry. Data is variable, as migrant centers constantly receive new children and others leave.