Bulgarian Association of Private Schools

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Bulgarian Association of Private Schools

• ECNAIS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Sofia 2009
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Contents

• Organization Profile
• Background
• Goals of BAPS
• Issues to be resolved
• Strategic Advantages
• Achievements
• Initiatives
• Contacts

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ORGANIZATION PROFILE

• Mission To support the successful development of
  private schools in Bulgaria and to raise the
  public awareness of their function as a high
  quality and socially responsible alternative
  on the educational market.
• Founded 2 October 1997
• Members 37 private schools
• 13 professional colleges
• 11 kinder gardens

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BACKGROUND

• First private schools licensed in 1992
• Quick initial growth
• 152 private schools and kinder gardens currently
  functioning in the country
• Approx 10 000 students from pre-school to 12th
  grade
• 49 professional colleges with 2000 students
  studying towards professional qualification after
  secondary education
• The private sector accounts for 1.2 of the total
  number of school institutions in Bulgaria
• 94 of the graduates continue their education in
  universities and colleges /predominantly abroad/
• Highly competitive environment

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MAIN GOALS

• To unify private schools, popularize their
  achievements and facilitate their successful
  development
• To assert the rights of private schools and
  protect their common interest in front of
  legislative, executive and other authorities
• To build active partnerships with state and
  municipal bodies that lead to the recognition of
  the private schools as reliable stakeholders in
  the development of education in Bulgaria
• To initiate international and national projects
  that encourage sharing of good practices and
  healthy developmental dialogue
• To encourage private schools to be the leaders in
  innovation and creativity in the educational
  sector
• To serve as a public guarantee for the quality of
  education offered by its member schools, to build
  and sustain a positive public image.

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CHALLENGES

• Lack of freedom to show difference and thus
  demonstrate further advantages
• Rigid and outdated legislative frame legislative
  norms restrict to a negligible minimum the free
  choice of programmes, curriculum variants and
  pedagogical experiment
• Lack of clear state policy addressing private
  education
• Channels of encouragement, stimulation and
  support from state and municipal institutions are
  missing, state interferes only to control
• No financial support from the state
• Public opinion still subject to inertia and
  safe silence lack of active civil society.

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STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES

• Focus on bringing out individual potential
• More engaged and positive staff
• High academic results
• Strong focus on language learning and IT
• Interest groups and extra curricular activities
• Focus on project work, team work and effective
  communication
• Consistent and regular assessment
• Close contact with families, regular and reliable
  feedback
• Safety
• Flexibility of organization and logistics
• Additional services /transport, food, sports,
  career advice, etc./
• Value-oriented environment where resposibilities
  back up rights

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AHIEVEMENTS

• On the initiative of BAPS
• In 2001 the Parliament suspended VAT on tuition
  fees for private schools
• In 2005 the City Council in Sofia voted for
  amendments in the Regulations that allowed
  private schools and kinder gardens to rent real
  estate owned by the city on preferential
  conditions
• In 2006 private schools are included in the
  official policy document Strategy for
  Development of Education in Sofia
• In 2007 the City Council in Sofia granted to four
  private schools the free right to build school
  buildings on city land
• In 2008 the Council of Ministers voted in favour
  of the project the students from 1st to 7th grade
  to receive free textbooks
• The Ministry of Education and Science allowed the
  teachers and heads of private schools to take
  part in the National System for Qualification of
  Pedagogical Staff.

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INITIATIVES

• Annual school fair /since 1998/
• Traditional Folk Festival Our Roots /since
  2000/
• Ski Tournament /since 2000/
• Discussion Forum /since 2005/
• Students for Clean Sofia /environmental project,
  start October 2008/
• Charity Events /concerts, art exhibitions, etc/
• Seminars and Conferences

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Contacts

• e-mail bachu_at_dir.bg
• web adress www.bachu.dir.bg
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QUESTIONS ARE WELCOME
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• Sooner or later, those who win
• are those who think they can.
• Richard Bach