Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0061/00611.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 36KB | 595 lines

$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Dimitrov Constitution) was enacted, all prewar textbooks had been replaced by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considered reactionary or fascist had been replaced by persons loyal to the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 communi