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BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Sustainable Development And Education: The Challenge For

Bulgaria

Prof. Elka Todorova, Sc. D.

Albena - November 2003

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FIGHTING POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION - THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Second Goal in the Millennium Goals Document state for better primary and secondary education to be reached by raising the percentage of graduates from primary education (grade 1-8 grade) from 84.4 % to 95 % and keeping the line of graduating from secondary education to 85 %

The claim: 1. Only individuals with enough education are able to understand the “scarcity principle” and

to act in line with the new ecological interpretation of successful life 2. Only individuals with qualitative education get suitable occupation, compete in the labor

market, earn decent living and prolong sustainable development

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  Data shows children in Bulgaria from rural and urban settings to have unequal access to education.

1. Children in rural areas get 3 years of education less than children in urban areas.

The difference between rural and urban children graduating primary school (eight grade) is getting bigger over time - from 16 % in 1996 to 21 % in 2002.

The First Challenge: Inequality:

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The Second Challenge: The Urban - Rural Division

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1996 2002

townvillage

There is a tendency of augmentation the differencein the level of graduates from primary school in relation to their place of living

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Around 9 % of the children entering the elementary school system (1-4 grade) do not graduate.

Around 16 % of the children drop out of school before graduation from primary school (1-8 grade).

Around 3 % of the students in 2003 who started fifth grade dropped out before the end of the school year.

The Third Challenge:Increasing Drop-out Rates

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The Fourth Challenge:Education and Poverty

Percent of people with secondary education aged 15 and over:

The higher the education the larger the gap between poor and non-poor people

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

secondaryeducation 2001

poornon-poor

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Defining Strategic Policy Approaches in Education Reform to Reach Sustainable Development

Caused by the necessity to create suitable circumstances for all people to acquire enough education, better-quality of education, and to aim to obtain higher educational level for constant improvement through

continuing education at all stages of life

I Direct intervention to prevent educational disadvantage

II Developing integrated institutional responses to early school leavers

III Promoting lifelong learning and adult training

enhancing the level of compulsory education;

set up foundations at municipality level to provide financial assistance to poor children;

improving access to learning with low thresholds to entry;

compensating those who have missed out on education through developing customized education and raining pathways;

increasing training for info-tech adaptation