$Unique_ID{COW00611}
$Pretitle{368}
$Title{Bulgaria
Chapter 6B.   Educational Reforms}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Eugene K. Keefe//L}
$Affiliation{United States Government}
$Subject{education
schools
school
secondary
years
percent
students
general
reforms
polytechnic}
$Date{1974}
$Log{Table 6.*0061101.tab
Table 7.*0061102.tab
Table 8.*0061103.tab
}
Country:     Bulgaria
Book:        Bulgaria, A Country Study
Affiliation: United States Government
Date:        1974

Chapter 6B.   Educational Reforms

     Between the years 1944 and 1948 the Communists set about eradicating the
prewar educational system. By 1947, when the constitution (also called the
Dimitrov Constitution) was enacted, all prewar textbooks had been replaced by
communist texts; all schoolteachers and university professors who were
considered reactionary or fascist had been replaced by persons loyal to the
Fatherland Front (Otechestven Front) government; and all institutions of
higher education had been opened to workers and their children, whereas
students thought to have fascist or reactionary tendencies were denied
admittance.

     The Dimitrov Constitution stipulated further that all schools, including
those that had previously been private, would be the property of the state;
that all foreign schools would be closed for the academic year 1948-49; and
that religious schools would be discontinued. Ironically, the only
denominational schools that were allowed to continue were those that trained
priests, but these schools had to have special permission from the state in
order to continue their operations.

     In 1948 and 1949 another series of reforms was initiated, which, although
less sweeping than the original reforms, tended to pattern the Bulgarian
school system more closely on that of the Soviet Union. In August 1949 a joint
resolution of the BKP Central Committee and the Council of Ministers declared
that education would be carried out in the spirit of socialism, based both on
the teachings of Karl Marx and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and on Bulgarian
friendship with the Soviet Union. The ideological studies introduced into the
curriculum consisted of the fundamental principles of Marx and Lenin, the
history of the communist party of the Soviet Union, and the history of the
BKP. All of these subjects became obligatory from kindergarten.

     The second initiative in the 1948-49 reforms was the declaration that all
universities and institutions of higher education as well as the Academy of
Sciences were no longer autonomous. A third reform during this period was the
reduction from five to four years of the gymnasium, which in turn reduced the
total schooling from twelve to eleven years. The fourth reform was the
redesigning of polytechnic education to greatly increase the number of trained
graduates to fill the rapidly escalating demands of the economy.

     In statistical terms the results of the various communist reforms were
mixed. Although the number of primary and secondary schools increased slightly
overall from 1938 to 1948, there was hardly any appreciable growth in primary
schools, whereas secondary schools nearly doubled. The number of students,
similarly, barely changed in the same ten-year period; the number of primary
students actually declined, but the number of secondary students grew
appreciably (see table 6; table 7).

     Higher education, on the other hand, made great strides after the
communist takeover as the number of universities and other institutions of
higher education increased by one-third. Despite the emphasis on technical and
vocational education, such schools dropped in terms of facilities, students,
and teachers during the early communist years. The number of teachers of
polytechnic subjects also declined during the period (see table 8).

[See Table 6.: Number of Schools in Bulgaria, Selected Years, 1938-70]

[See Table 7.: Number of Students in Bulgaria, Selected School Years, 1938-70]

     The next reforms occurred in 1957 and in 1958 and placed a much stronger
emphasis on technical-vocational training, while the years of total schooling
were again increased. The period of secondary schooling consisted of a
five-year program rather than the previous four, thus extending the entire
period of education to twelve years. The network of professional schools was
expanded significantly, and teacher training was upgraded and given new
emphasis. In 1958 there were specialized professional schools with
approximately 64,000 students studying various aspects of industry and
agriculture. At approximately the same time there were twenty-two pedagogical
schools with an enrollment of 8,989 students.

     The concept of practical work as an integral part of the curriculum was
again emphasized, and the scope of vocational training grew enormously as
vocational and technical schools increased threefold. Although all students
had to perform certain tasks as part of their basic education, the 1957-58
reforms dictated that graduates of higher technical and agricultural
institutions had to perform one year of practical work before graduation. As
the concept of polytechnical education became widespread at the secondary
level, practical work consumed up to one-third of the total hours of
education. Although experimental vocational training was introduced into the
curricula of some gymnasiums in this period, other gymnasiums, particularly in
the rural areas, required students to spend several hours weekly in formal
vocational studies.

[See Table 8.: Number of Teachers in Bulgaria, Selected School Years, 1938-70]

     In the same 1957-58 period a number of broad, rather than structural,
reforms were initiated. Schools for ethnic minorities were established in
which, despite the fact that study of the Bulgarian language was compulsory,
teaching was performed in the language of the minority group. All schools of
general education became officially coeducational, and evening classes for
workers were initiated. At the same time, although there already had been
some financial assistance, scholarships were presented on a wide scale. In the
1957-58 academic year 46 percent of all students in institutions of higher
education received stipends from the government. Although there were few
scholarships given to gymnasium students, with the exception of Turkish
students who were considered the least educated group, students in
professional schools and technical colleges were the recipients of a large
number of governmental stipends.

     The reforms of 1959 were of more lasting significance than were the
1957-58 reforms. Unlike the latter reforms, which represented a slight
deviation from the Soviet educational model, the 1959 reforms returned the
Bulgarian system once more to the original Soviet pattern. In 1958 Nikita
Khrushchev wrote a treatise called "Strengthening the Ties Between School and
Life" in which he demanded a close integration of the educational system and
the economy. Shortly thereafter, Zhivkov declared that the  1957-58 school
reforms in his own country were in adequate and asked for a basic
reorganization of the entire school system. In July 1959 a basic law,
reorganizing the entire school system, was passed.

     This law was entitled "Law on Establishing a Closer Link Between
Education and Practical Life and on Furthering the Development of Public
Education in the People's Republic of Bulgaria." Its stated objectives were:
"To prepare youth for life by combining education and instruction with
practical and production work" and "to imbue the young people with a love of
work and a spirit of patriotism and international solidarity." The law
proposed the introduction of polytechnic studies on an unprecedented scale in
order to provide skilled workers for agriculture and industry. Although the
main objective was to meet the demands of the economy, it was hoped that the
new emphasis on technical subjects would break down the exclusiveness of the
educated classes, while socializing the younger generation in communist
ideological terms.

     In practical terms the 1959 reforms introduced a unified twelve-year so
called secondary school-despite the fact that it included the elementary
grades as well-called the medium polytechnical school, which totally replaced
the existing five-year basic school and the four-year medium school or
gymnasium. The medium polytechnical school was divided into an eight-year
elementary course and a four-year upper course. After completing the basic
school the student was faced with four alternatives. He could enter: the upper
course, which provided general education plus specialization in an area of
production; a medium professional school or technicum, which provided a
specialized education; a professional technical college, which prepared him
for production in the economy; or the so-called miscellaneous training, which
included courses organized by plants, factories, and cooperatives.

     At the same time the new law provided for the improvement of teacher
training. All teachers who taught in the fifth level or above were required to
have a university education or its equivalent. Teachers who taught in
kindergartens or the first to fourth levels were required to take a three-year
course after the obligatory twelve-year course of schooling.

     The reforms were later criticized, however, on much more far-reaching
grounds. Some felt that technical specialization was stressed to such an
extreme that the liberal arts were altogether ignored. Some complained that,
although students were overburdened with superfluous details of
overspecialized subjects, teachers were still basically unprepared to teach
these subjects. Others felt that there was a lack of correlation between the
work that the student had to perform and his or her area of expertise. Still
others realized that there was a basic clash between the managers who
supervised the worker-students and the students themselves.

     Despite much criticism about the reforms, in terms of bare statistics
they were successful in greatly increasing the emphasis on
technical-vocational training. Although the number of primary and secondary
students remained approximately at the same level and the number of primary
and secondary schools declined drastically, there was a tremendous increase in
technical-vocational schools, students, and teachers.

     In 1967 there was another wave of educational reform in Bulgaria, as well
as in all of Eastern Europe, that once again changed the direction of
education. Although most Eastern European countries began to deemphasize
polytechnic instruction, Bulgaria's course was more cautious and ambivalent.
On the one hand, Bulgarian educators stated that the time allotted for
practical training would be increased, while on the other hand, efforts were
made to reintroduce the humanities into the curriculum. In the last three
grades of the upper course, the curriculum was divided into two branches:
natural science and mathematics, and the humanities. The number of general
education subjects was gradually increased, and there was renewed emphasis on
foreign languages and the social sciences.

     By 1969, however, authorities once again perceived certain problems in
the educational system and proposed counteracting reforms. One problem was the
relative cost of higher education, which was expanding, as compared to the
cost of primary education, which was both cheaper and contracting. A second
problem was the question of the availability of trained persons for the
national economy because of the long periods of schooling then required. It
was argued that by the time a young man had completed his education and his
military training, he was twenty-five or twenty-six years old. A third problem
was the intense competition for places in higher education and other
postsecondary institutions. In 1969 approximately 70,000 to 75,000 students
leaving secondary schools competed with each other for 20,000 places at the
university level. A fourth problem was whether the polytechnic school should
place primary emphasis on trade specialization or on academic subjects.

     In the same year serious thought was given to the solution of these
problems, and tentative measures were proposed. The major thrust of these
proposals was to enable students to meet the needs of the economy by
shortening the period of overall education. It was proposed that a unified
polytechnic school, which would fuse general and professional elements of
education, would replace the current, professionally oriented polytechnic
school. At the same time children would enter school at the age of six,
instead of the customary seven. The secondary polytechnic school would be a
ten-year instead of a twelve-year course, allowing students to graduate at the
age of sixteen. Most courses in higher education would be reduced from five to
four years, enabling students to complete all levels of education by the age
of twenty rather than twenty-five.

     The reforms would perhaps have a greater impact on the secondary system
than the other levels, as they envisioned a completely unified secondary
school system in which professional and general education would be fused.
Specialization in liberal arts, mathematics and economics, chemistry and
biology, social sciences, and foreign languages would be offered.

     In 1972 these reforms were officially proposed and passed by the Council
of Ministers. It was anticipated that they would be carried out over the next
ten to fifteen years. Although the concept of fusing general and professional
education in the new unified secondary polytechnic school was not universally
popular, the reform embodying this concept was passed primarily because of the
influence of one of its strongest proponents, Zhivkov.

     Other reforms proposed in 1972 dealt with the specific levels of the
educational system and with monetary necessities to fulfill these
expectations. As it was expected that by 1975 approximately 76 percent of
children from three to seven years of age would be in kindergartens, the Sixth
Five-Year Plan (1971-75) emphasized the development of a huge network of
kindergartens. By 1975, 85 percent of the students attending primary school
were expected to go on to the secondary level, and plans were made to increase
the construction of boarding and semiboarding schools to accommodate these
students. Secondary education was to be made compulsory in order, in Zhivkov's
words, "to give every young man and girl the opportunity not only of acquiring
scientific knowledge of nature and society and the necessary general culture
and polytechnical education, but also of acquiring certain production and
technical habits and skills, of preparing themselves for socially useful
work."

     The main emphasis in the 1972 reforms, however, was on higher education.
It was anticipated that there would be some 120,000 students in higher
education by 1975. Of this number it was expected that 65,000-or approximately
half-would be specialists. Of the 65,000 specialists, half would be engaged in
science and technology. Therefore, in 1972 plans were being formulated for the
construction of new buildings at many of the major institutions of higher
education.

     In order to fulfill these structural changes, it was decided that both
increased expenditures and additional places for students were needed. During
the Fifth Five-Year Plan (1966-70), about 300 million leva (for value of the
lev-see Glossary) had been expended on education. In the Sixth Five-Year Plan
(1971-75) 500 million leva were to be allocated. In addition, 30,000 more
places were to be provided at the preschool level, 28,000 more accommodations
at hostels, and 4,500 classrooms at all levels.

Literacy

     Figures vary to some degree, but at the time of liberation in 1878
between 85 and 90 percent of the Bulgarian population was illiterate. By the
early twentieth century, however, Bulgaria had achieved the highest literacy
rate in the Balkans. Although some scholars stated that only some 31 percent
of the population over school age was literate, by 1920 nearly 50 percent of
the population over school age was literate. By 1934 only 31.6 percent of the
population over school age was still illiterate, and by 1940 this figure was
reduced to between 20 and 25 percent.

     After the Communists took power in the country, literacy increased at a
rapid pace. In 1956 only 17.6 percent of the population over twenty-five was
illiterate, and by 1965 only 8.6 percent was illiterate. In 1973, although
total literacy for people under fifty years of age was claimed by the
government, the rate of literacy of this group was probably somewhere between
90 and 100 percent.

     Of the illiterate population in 1965, approximately three-fourths were
women and only one-fourth were men, reflecting the recency of the emancipation
of women in Bulgaria. Of ethnic groups, the Gypsies have both the lowest
levels of literacy and of education, whereas the Turks have a significantly
higher literacy rate. Jews, Czechs, Greeks, and Russians all have a relatively
high literacy level. In 1965 there were three times as many illiterates in
rural areas as in urban. Also, illiteracy in Bulgaria was much more common
among the older generation than among the young. In 1965, of the population
over 60 years of age, approximately one-third was illiterate, whereas only a
very small percentage of the working-age group was illiterate. The government
seemed relatively unconcerned about the problem of illiteracy among the older
people, as an official stated: "The high illiteracy rate among the older
population does not present a problem since this is the population above the
working age and this group is not crucial to our economic life."

The Educational System

Administration and Finance

     The 1947 constitution established both the Ministry of Education and the
Committee for Science, Art, and Culture, which held ministry status. In 1954
the Law on Public Education increased the authority of the Ministry of
Education; all general and vocational schools fell under its jurisdiction at
that time. In February 1954 the Ministry of Culture was established. It
replaced the Committee for Science, Art, and Culture and oversaw, in broad
terms, the curricula at all levels of education, including correspondence
courses.

     In 1973 the executive branch dealing with the legal aspects of education
was the Council of Ministers, and the Ministry of National Education dealt
with all administrative matters. The minister of national education is a
member of the Presidium of the National Assembly as well as of the BKP Central
Committee. Similarly, the assistant ministers of education hold high offices
in the party structure. In this way the party not only supports educational
legislation but also originates it.

     The Ministry of National Education has four principal tasks to perform.
Its primary duty is to direct and control the educational system in accordance
with the policies of the party and the government. It both formulates and
approves basic documents of the educational system, such as the curricula, the
school regulations, and methods. It arranges for the publication of all school
textbooks and supervises the work of the people's councils at the local level.

     The minister of national education is assisted by three vice ministers
who are appointed by the National Assembly and who head three broad
departments: the Department of General Education, the Department of Vocational
Training, and the Department of Higher Education. Also within the Ministry of
National Education are the following subsections: Marxism-Leninism, physical
culture, economic planning, finance, employment, teaching materials, and
cultural relations.

     At the regional level the district people's councils have responsibility
for organization and instruction in all educational institutions with the
exception of schools of art, intermediate schools, and institutions of higher
education. Each council is under the authority of its executive committee as
well as the Ministry of National Education. The Education Section of the
council performs the routine tasks affecting the educational system. The
Ministry of National Education supervises these education sections and assists
them when necessary. They are also assisted by various advisory committees.

     Education in Bulgaria is generally financed by the state budget. Schools
that are deemed to have national importance are financed by the national
budget, whereas schools that have only local significance are financed by the
people's councils at the local level. Since 1964 the expenses of many
vocational training schools have been financed by various related ministries,
factories, and enterprises. These organizations have played an increasing role
in the financing of the schools since that date.

     The only available figures dealing with the financing of education are
those on higher education. As Bulgaria is considerably behind most European
countries in terms of the financing of education, there is very little public
discussion of the issue. Sofia, the capital city, has one of the most severe
financial problems. In 1966 only 3.2 percent of the total city budget was
spent on matters relating to education. Generally, financial figures for
education are categorized with those for science and culture so that it is
nearly impossible to separate those figures that deal specifically with
education. In recent years educational reformers have requested greater sums
for education than were allocated in the past.

     Bulgaria's budget for education fluctuated between 133 million leva in
1960 and 491 million leva in 1971. The proportion of the total budget
allocated for education, however, actually decreased over the last eight years
of the period. In 1960 education represented 5.9 percent of the total budget;
in 1964, 9 percent; in 1967, 8.4 percent; and in 1971, only 8.3 percent. The
percentage of the Bulgarian gross national product (GNP) earmarked for
education in 1972 was inferior to that of some other European and Asian
countries. The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) spent 5.9 percent on
education; the Soviet Union, 5.8 percent; Japan, 5.3 percent; Poland, 4.8
percent; Great Britain, 4.3 percent; France, 3.2 percent; and the Federal
Republic of Germany (West Germany), 3 percent. Bulgaria allocated only 0.5
percent of its total GNP to the field of education.

Preschool Education

     Before the Communists took power in 1944 kindergartens were considered to
be an unimportant factor in education. In 1921 there were only twenty-four
kindergartens in the entire country.

     The Communists made a real effort to establish a far-reaching network
of kindergartens, which in the late 1940s included three types: the half day,
all day, and seasonal. No tuition was required for the half day kindergarten,
and tuition varied-depending on the income of the family-for the other two
types.

     Half day kindergartens accepted children after six years of age,
preparing them for admission to elementary schools. All day kindergartens,
which were located in large towns and industrial areas, cared for children,
aged three to seven, of working mothers. Seasonal kindergartens were
established in rural areas for the children of mothers whose work was
seasonal. These schools operated from two to ten months per year and also
accepted children from three to seven years of age.

     In mid-1973 there were creches for children from infancy to three
years of age. Children from three to seven attended kindergarten. Although
attendance was voluntary, it was believed that over 60 percent of the
preschool-age children were enrolled in creches or kindergartens.
Approximately 50 percent of the children in elementary school have had their
preschool education in the half day kindergartens. There were five types of
kindergartens in Bulgaria: the half day, the all day, the seasonal, the
kindergarten sanatoriums and the auxiliary kindergarten. Kindergarten
sanatoriums provided educational facilities for children with tuberculosis,
and auxiliary kindergartens were for the mentally deficient.

Elementary Education

     Before the Communists took power, there were primary schools for
children between seven and eleven and progymnasia for children eleven to
fourteen years old. Although both levels of education were compulsory
according to the law, many children between the ages of seven and fourteen
did not attend school. The program of the progymnasium was to enable
children-who might be excluded from either a gymnasium or vocational school
for economic or academic reasons-to obtain additional education beyond the
primary level.

     After 1944 the Communists undertook a major revision of elementary
education in accordance with their basic principles of education (see
Communist Educational Policies, this ch.). In 1950 a new unified school
system was established, patterned after the educational system of the
Soviet Union. This unified, eleven-year system comprised both primary and
postprimary education. In 1954 the Edict on Public Education stated that the
first eight years of this new general education were compulsory for children
from seven to fifteen years of age. Depending on the particular needs of the
individual community, children could attend either four-year, seven-year, or
eleven-year general education schools. Generally, the four-year schools
predominated in rural areas, and the seven-year and eleven-year schools were
more prevalent in larger villages and towns.

     Elementary education is still compulsory for both boys and girls from
seven to fifteen years of age. Classes are held in the morning only and run
six days a week, Monday through Saturday. The schools are known as basic or
general schools and include not only elementary education but also the first
two phases of the eleven-year polytechnic school. The elementary course
comprises grades one through four, and the postelementary courses include
classes five through eight. The elementary curriculum includes the study of
Bulgarian, mathematics, music, art, and physical education. The postelementary
curriculum also encompasses the study of foreign languages and science. On
both levels the study of Russian is compulsory.

     The purpose of this general elementary education, according to the
government, is to "provide pupils with general and polytechnic education
combined with fundamental moral, physical and aesthetic training, instill in
children a liking for work, accustom them to productive work useful to
society and prepare them for studies at a higher level." In accordance with
these principles "education in labor" was made an integral part of the
curriculum. The total curriculum of elementary education consists of a
tripartite division. The academic section is subdivided into the sciences
and the humanities. The education in the labor section consists of work,
beginning in the first year of schooling, in shops, farms, and factories.
The extracurricular section is dominated by the work-study program of the
youth organization known as the Pioneers (see ch. 9).

Secondary Education

     Before 1944 secondary education in Bulgaria consisted of the gymnasium
and the vocational school. The gymnasium was divided into three types: the
classical, the semiclassical, and the scientific. All three included the
following subjects in their curriculum: Bulgarian language and literature;
either French, German, or English; philosophy; mathematics; history; the
history of Christianity; geography; sociology; civics; physics; and chemistry.
In the scientific and classical divisions, natural history and drawing were
also given, and Latin and Greek were presented in the classical and
semiclassical gymnasiums. There was also a normal school, or pedagogical part
of the gymnasium, which added pedagogy and physical education to the basic
curriculum.

     Soon after the communist takeover the combined elementary-secondary
period of schooling was reduced from twelve to eleven years. The objectives
of a secondary education were described in the following terms: "the general
promotion of the physical and intellectual development of adolescents, the
weaning of their minds from extreme nationalist and reactionary ideas, the
inculcation of the spirit of progress, and preparation for creative
participation in the economic and cultural life of the country." The
curriculum of the secondary schools was changed in order to incorporate these
goals. Latin and Greek were no longer required, but Russian became compulsory.
A new subject called general history subsumed within it the old studies of
religion, ethics, political economy, and Bulgarian. Astronomy was added to the
new curriculum

     Between 1949 and 1959 other changes were introduced in the secondary
school system. There were then two principal forms of secondary education:
the general school and the technical school. Grades eight to eleven of the
general school, which were considered part of secondary education, included
study of Bulgarian language and literature; Russian; French, German, or
English; mathematics; physics; astronomy; chemistry; biology; history;
constitutional history; geography; psychology and logic; geometrical drawing;
and physical education.

     Technicums and vocational-technical secondary schools, on the other hand,
offered courses ranging from two to five years that gave the student a
specialized education. Graduates of the eleven-year general school attended
these schools for two years; students who had completed less than eleven years
attended for three to five years. In 1952 labor reserve schools were
established. These factory schools offered one-year or two-year training
programs to young people from fourteen to seventeen years of age who had
already completed their elementary education.

     During the 1960s the new polytechnic secondary school was introduced
in order to incorporate the elements of a general and specialized education
into one system. Although this type of secondary education continued to be
the main form of secondary education, it was criticized on two seemingly
paradoxical counts. One group of critics claimed that the polytechnic school
gave the student neither a sound general education nor a solid base in
professional training. Another group claimed that the polytechnic school
was both too narrow and too technical, depriving the student of a broad
background in general areas.

     In mid 1973 there were three major types of secondary education in
Bulgaria: the secondary polytechnic or a semitechnical variation of the
gymnasium, the vocational-technical schools, and the technicums (see fig. 5).
Roughly 95 percent of students who had completed elementary school continued
in secondary education.

     Approximately one-third of students continuing in secondary education
attend the polytechnic school. The stated purpose of this kind of school is
"to provide pupils with wider scientific education and more intensive
polytechnical training, through practical production experience closely linked
with general education and technical subjects, and to prepare them for active
working and intellectual life or for their continued studies at higher levels.
This secondary course completes the pupils' basic science studies and
polytechnical preparation. The practical experiences gained prepares them for
specialization in a major branch of production work."

     Polytechnic schools can be either part of the general schools-in which
case they consist of grades nine through eleven-or separate schools in
themselves. In the latter case the course is of either four or five years'
duration . These schools are also open to factory and office workers who are
able to remain in their positions, on a reduced basis, while continuing their
education.

     Technicums are more popular than the polytechnic schools. Although
sources differ with respect to the exact percentage of elementary students
who continue their education in technicums-with some claiming approximately
40 percent and others as high as 77 percent-probably about 50 percent continue
their schooling in this area. According to the government the purpose of the
technicums is to "train specialists at intermediate levels for the various
sectors of the national economy: industry, agriculture, and building
construction, transport services, commerce and public health services." At the
same time, however, the technicums provide general education that corresponds
to some extent with the program of the polytechnic school.

     These schools, more than the polytechnic schools, are directly related to
trends in the economy. Technicums are designed to produce supervisors and
skilled workers who will satisfy the needs of the economy. The course of study
varies from three to four years. Although some general subjects are taught,
emphasis is on the acquisition of specialized knowledge in such fields as
agriculture and engineering.

     The least popular form of secondary education in Bulgaria is the
vocational-technical school, which is a form of trade school. Although the
number of students in vocational-technical schools has doubled since 1944,
only approximately 20 percent of the graduates of elementary education
continue in this area. The government states that "Vocational training schools
are designed to train skilled workers for industry and agriculture." The
schools can either operate independently or be a part of a technicum or
agricultural or industrial enterprise. Although the courses are generally
open to elementary graduates, workers under thirty who have not completed
their primary education may also continue their training in these schools.

     The program of the vocational-technical school varies from one to three
years. In the case of workers under thirty the program runs from one to four
years. Graduates of the program receive the title of skilled workmen; they
are obligated to work in their field of specialization for three years. The
curriculum in the vocational-technical school includes: Bulgarian, Russian
physics, mathematics, and physical education. These subjects consume only half
of the allotted time; the other half is spent working in factories or on
farms.

     In addition to these three basic forms of secondary education, there
are special types of secondary schools as well. Specialized secondary schools
exist for music, art, and ballet. Although most operate only on the secondary
level-requiring the completion of the elementary school-some give the
complete eleven-year program. The length of study generally is four years.
Music schools offer courses in instrumental music, singing, musical theory,
and general education. Students of dance study at the National School of
Choreography, which is divided into a section offering classical ballet and
another offering Bulgarian folk dance. Art students study at a special
gymnasium.

     Another form of secondary education is the foreign language secondary
school. In these schools all instruction is given in the foreign language
selected. Russian is the most popular language, followed by French, German,
and English. Although no figures are available for schools of other languages,
in 1973 there were six English-language schools with fifteen native English
instructors. Of the total number of places available in these language
schools, 50 percent are reserved for girls and 50 percent for boys. Of the
same total, 20 percent are reserved for children of "the active fighters
against fascism and capitalism."