Ministry of Education and Science

Amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine, Bulgaria has emerged as a crucial supporter of Ukrainian refugees, particularly in the realm of education. As the conflict enters its third year, the number of Ukrainian children seeking refuge in Bulgarian schools has significantly increased, highlighting the importance of comprehensive support measures.

The declaration of a flu epidemic in Sofia is currently off the table as the number of cases is decreasing throughout the country, including in the capital, according to Health Minister Hristo Hinkov.

Minister of Education and Science Galin Tsokov has announced a significant adjustment to pupil attendance policies in an effort to better address diverse student needs. Pupils will now be permitted to miss up to 15 days of school for family reasons, a substantial increase from the previous allowance.

A significant boost awaits educators in Bulgaria as teacher salaries are set to surge by 8.4% starting January 1, 2024, revealed by the Ministry of Education and Science. This raise comes following the inking of a new collective agreement on December 28, 2023, encompassing the pre-school and school education system.

The "Yuri Gagarin" private school in the Bulgarian resort Kamchia, which is part of the largest children's camp outside the Russian Federation and owned by the Moscow City Hall, is closing its doors. The labor inspectorate in Varna has already received an application for the layoff of more than 30 people - teachers and employees.

Today, May 24, Bulgarians celebrate the Day of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture, and of Slavic literature.

The holiday will be marked with solemn celebrations throughout the country.

Students from the Republic of North Macedonia might start studying higher education completely free of charge in Bulgarian universities. They might be freed from paying not only for tuition fees but also application fees. This is foreseen by the changes proposed by the Acting Minister of Education Prof. Sasho Penov in Government Decree No. 228 of 1997.

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology has stopped its protest, and weather forecasts for the media have been restored, BNT reported.

The director of the institute, Prof. Hristomir Branzov, explained that the reason was that their protest was beginning to become politicized.

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology has stopped publishing weather forecasts on its website, Krassimir Stoev told BNR, adding that it will most likely stop submitting forecasts to the media. He did not specify when this will happen.

"Bulgaria is already in the Omicron phase. Evidence of this is the continuing number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 and those admitted to intensive care units." This was commented by the former Minister of Health Dr. Mimi Vitkova on Nova TV.