REPORT ON THE SITUATION IN EDUCATION DURING THE CRISIS

1. REPORT ON THE SITUATION IN EDUCATION DURING THE CRISIS KOUNKA DAMIANOVA –INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY SEB-BULGARIA

2. The economical and financial crisis is still going ahead and we don’t see the end of this crisis. As every one is saying –education is one of the possible solution. But now the crisis is affecting first of all the social status of the population and as a consequences all the sectors depending directly on the budget. Bulgaria is in a very difficult situation in comparison with all the other European-member states. From the 115 million inhabitants in EU 27-23,4% are in risk of poverty or social exclusion. In Bulgaria 21% are the real poor population and the same time Czech Republic it’s 9%,in Hungary it’s 12%,Osterreich,Slovakia and Netherlands is 10%.

3. Families in difficulties in Europe are 8%,in Czech Republic it is 6%,Luxemberg and Belgium they are 13%. Children under 18 in EU reach 27% from those who are exposed to risk or social exclusion for the population from 23-64 it is 23%,after 64 -20%.So children in 20 countries are the most exposed to risk at the same time in countries like Slovenia, Sweden, Finland and Bulgaria the old population is mostly in a difficult situation.

4. To remediate to this the GDP must increase. In Europe and the whole world for 2013 it will decrease from 3,9% to 3,6%. During 2013 the lost will be overcome and it will be growth of 0,2%. For Bulgaria during the last government and the three years of their governance the GDP is decreasing all the time in comparison of all other 20 years of transition where the GDP went all the time up. The number of population in Bulgaria is very significant for the whole development as well as for the development of the education. Now the whole population is 7 364 570 – in 2011 and during 2001 it was 7 932 884.

5. The natural growth is 5,1 per 1000,the nativity is 9,6 per 1000 ,the mortality Is 14,7 per 1000,the longevity of life is 73,8: men-70,4 and women 77,4, fertility percentage 1,51, the child mortality is 8,5 per 1000. The structure of the society per age is the following: 0-14 13,4% 15-64 67,8% After 65 18,8%

6. We see that there are more adult people than young. People in retirement is 2 195 200, unemployed-116 314. The minimum pension is 136,08 leva. From the whole number of retired people -1 200 000 are receiving less than 200 leva -100 euros. Between 1990 and 2005 – 1 000 000 left the country. 8444 from the EU -23% from the foreigners come from the EU. After 2011 over 2 000 000 inhabitants are leaving abroad.

7. The population in the country by ethnos are: Bulgarians -84,8%, Roma-4,7%, Turks – 8,8%. Bulgarian speaking people is 85,2%. In the cities , in the biggest towns of the country are leaving 72,5% / 5 338 261 people/ and in the villages – 27,5% /2 026 309. One third of the population is leaving in the 7-th biggest towns in Bulgaria.

8. All these figures show the following problems: We have not enough children except the last tree years when the nativity slowly went up; We have too much adult population, so the young generation must work for their pensions; We have a big concentration of population in the cities ,so we need more schools and kindergartens in these cities as well as teachers; We have not enough people in the villages, so we have to close schools and kindergartens and assure transportation for the children to their new school establishments; We have many people abroad and we loose every day children, so teachers as consequences; We have minorities and we need special training for the teachers in this aspect; We have a big Roma problem- engage parents to sent their children to school; to educate those children

9. Our achievements are 5 and 6 years old children in an obligatory preschool year; change of the Teachers’ training program for a work with minorities, a whole day of studies in the schools, in order to help all children with the lessons. The big problem in this situation is the small percentage for education 3,2% from the GDP in the Budget- a very insufficient figure.

10. The salaries in the Sector are: -the average : 608 leva /304 euros/ -the teacher average: 703 leva/350 euros/ -the non teaching staff :413 leva/206 euros / The starting salaries are: 450 leva–young teachers, 483leva-for a teacher with 15 years work, 516 –the best teachers with around 20 years work.

11. The Contract between Unions and Ministry of education was signed on the 26 of June -2012.In the Contract we have 390 levas every second year amount of money for clothes and 90% of the transport to the schools paid by the Municipalities. Now ,from a week we have a decision to go to strike if the government would not give us money for increasing with 15% the starting salaries in the Sector. Our salaries were frozen till now and the inflation 3,2%-official one is in reality more than 30% on all things during these tree years. So actions must go on, we must insist to receive the necessary money.

12. The Strategy 2020 is asking to have less than 10 % early leavers from the schools and more than 40% for the 30-34 people to receive higher education. We have a Project of a new law on the preschool education and the secondary education. But the philosophy of this law is that the student is the most important in the system and everything must be orientated around this. We consider that the teacher must be in the center of the education system with the respect, the responsibilities but also with all the necessary environment, working conditions and social privileges. We must come back in our work to the recommendation 66 of IONESCO on the Status of the teacher in order to improve the status of our members following her content.