Bulgaria : Improving the Quality and Relevance of Education for All

Bulgaria has recently introduced sweeping reforms of its secondary education system to promote more autonomy and accountability of schools for better learning outcomes. Positive results are already showing but more remains to be done to reap the f...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Policy Note
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC 2013
Subjects:	ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS ACCESS TO EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENTS ADULT EDUCATION ADULTS BASIC EDUCATION BOARDS OF TRUSTEES CAREER CAREER DEVELOPMENT CHILD PROTECTION CIVIL SOCIETY CLASS SIZES CLASSROOM CLASSROOM LEVEL COLLEGES COMPLETION RATES COMPULSORY EDUCATION COMPULSORY GENERAL EDUCATION COMPULSORY SCHOOL AGE COMPULSORY SCHOOLING CONTINUING EDUCATION COUNSELING COUNSELORS CURRICULA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES CURRICULUM CURRICULUM CONTENT CURRICULUM REFORMS DEGREE PROGRAMS DILAPIDATED SCHOOL BUILDINGS DISADVANTAGED GROUPS EARLY CHILDHOOD EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION EARLY INTERVENTION EDUCATION BUDGET EDUCATION FOR ALL EDUCATION OFFICERS EDUCATION OUTCOMES EDUCATION POLICY EDUCATION PROGRAMS EDUCATION SECTOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS EFFECTIVE TEACHERS EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ENROLLMENT RATE ENROLLMENT RATES ETHNIC MINORITIES FACULTIES FOREIGN LANGUAGES FORMAL EDUCATION FORMAL SCHOOLING GROSS ENROLLMENT GROSS ENROLLMENT RATE GROSS ENROLLMENT RATES HIGH ACHIEVEMENT HIGHER EDUCATION HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM HUMAN CAPITAL INCENTIVES FOR TEACHERS INSTRUCTIONAL TIME INTERVENTIONS KINDERGARTEN KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY LABOR FORCE LEARNING LEARNING DIFFICULTIES LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES LEARNING OUTCOMES LEARNING PROGRAMS LIBRARIES LITERACY LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCILS MATHEMATICS MINISTRY OF EDUCATION MUNICIPAL SCHOOL NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK NON-FORMAL EDUCATION PARTICIPATION RATES PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS PRIMARY ENROLLMENT PRIMARY ENROLLMENT RATE PRIMARY ENROLLMENT RATES PRIVATE TUTORING PROBLEM SOLVING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFICIENCY PUBLIC EXPENDITURE PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION QUALITY LEARNING QUALITY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES QUALITY OF EDUCATION QUALITY SCHOOLS QUALITY TEACHERS READING RESOURCE CENTERS RETENTION IN SCHOOL RETENTION RATES RETURNS TO EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS SCHOOL AUTONOMY SCHOOL BUILDINGS SCHOOL CHILDREN SCHOOL COUNCILS SCHOOL CULTURE SCHOOL DIRECTORS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SCHOOL LEVEL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS SCHOOL QUALITY SCHOOL READINESS SCHOOL STAFF SCHOOL STUDENTS SCHOOL SYSTEM SCHOOL YEAR SCHOOLING SCHOOLS SECONDARY EDUCATION SECONDARY SCHOOL SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS SECONDARY SCHOOLS SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SPORTS STUDENT ASSESSMENT STUDENT ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS STUDENT ASSESSMENTS STUDENT BODY STUDENT LEARNING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES STUDENT LOANS STUDENT PERFORMANCE STUDENT POPULATION STUDENT POPULATIONS STUDENT-TEACHER RATIOS STUDY ABROAD TEACHER TEACHER RATIOS TEACHER TRAINING TEACHERS TEACHING TERTIARY EDUCATION TERTIARY EDUCATION SYSTEM TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS TERTIARY LEVEL TERTIARY PARTICIPATION TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES UNIVERSITIES UNIVERSITY DEGREE UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS URBAN SCHOOLS VOCATIONAL EDUCATION WORKERS YOUNG PEOPLE YOUTH YOUTH PARTICIPATION YOUTH POPULATION
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/09/16280972/bulgaria-improving-quality-relevance-education-all http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12542

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Summary:	Bulgaria has recently introduced sweeping reforms of its secondary education system to promote more autonomy and accountability of schools for better learning outcomes. Positive results are already showing but more remains to be done to reap the full benefits of the reforms. Per-student-financing and delegated budgets have led to a wave of school closures that had become essential in the wake of a dramatic decline in student numbers. As opposed to the previous centralized system, school-based management with a considerable degree of decision-making power of the school principal has set the stage for schools to better adjust to local needs and opportunities for a better education. External student assessments are now routinely conducted, which have substantially improved the evidence base for education policy-making. However, concerns remain as to the accountability of schools to the local community. While principals are accountable to the municipal authorities for the use of financial resources, parents have little formal ways of holding principals accountable for learning outcomes. The reform was launched in the face of dramatic challenges in terms of unsatisfactory learning outcomes, early school leaving and considerable inequities in the education system. Moreover, Bulgaria s vocational education and training system remains un-reformed, and there are concerns with regard to the quality and relevance, with few formal communication channels to the labor market. The higher education system, meanwhile, is characterized by low participation relative to other new EU Member States, and the system of occupationally-oriented colleges, an important part of higher education across the EU, remains underdeveloped relative to academically-oriented universities. The economic crisis and associated fiscal pressures should not lead to cuts in the education budget. Promoting accountability for learning outcomes and results is the key policy direction for both secondary and tertiary education. Teachers are the key determinant of the quality of education.

Bulgaria : Improving the Quality and Relevance of Education for All

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