Report submitted by Bulgaria

National Report :  http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session9/BG/A_HRC_WG.6_9_BGR_1_E_Bulgaria.pdf

The right to education is dealt with in several occasions and once there is an explicit reference to human rights education (point 126, below).

113. The Constitution guarantees the right to education of everybody in Bulgaria, which includes compulsory school education until the age of 16. Primary and secondary education in public schools is free of charge. In principle, education in state universities is free of charge as well. The state encourages education by creating and financing schools, assisting
talented pupils and students, and creating conditions for professional training and qualification.

114. According to article 54, paragraph 1 of the Constitution everyone is entitled to avail himself/herself of the national and human cultural values, and to develop his/her culture in conformity with his/her ethnic belonging.

115. Article 36, paragraph 2, of the Constitution provides the guarantee that “citizens whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian shall be entitled to learn their own language and to use it alongside the study of Bulgarian.” The state shall provide the required protection and control.

116. The National Education Act contains the following principles: citizens are entitled to education; they can constantly improve their education and qualification; there shall be no limitations or privileges on grounds of race, nationality, sex, ethnic or social origin, religion and social status.

117. Pupils in municipal schools whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian are entitled to study their mother tongues in addition to the compulsory study of the Bulgarian 24 .

118. Turkish is being studied as a mother tongue, on the basis of school programmes, text books and dictionaries, approved by the Ministry of Education and Sciences for all classes from the first to the eighth grades. Turkish is studied in private secondary Muslim and other schools as well. A number of universities educate teachers in Turkish. Armenian, Hebrew are also studied as mother tongues in Bulgarian schools in several cities and towns.

119. Romani as a mother tongue has not been taught and studied systematically. Teaching Romani began in some municipal schools in 1992. Despite the efforts undertaken in past years by state institutions and universities, there are not many qualified teachers and necessary text books for the primary and secondary levels and also for specialized philological education.

120. Romanian and Greek are studied in schools upon request of parents if the required number of pupils is available.

121. In addition to public schools, there are a lot of private schools where those and other languages are studied.

122. Pupils and students from foreign countries legally residing in Bulgaria are entitled under the National Education Act, the Higher Education Act and the Asylum and Refugees Act to receive free education in Bulgarian in state and municipal schools and universities.

123. An important objective of the educational system is to educate and train Bulgarian citizens to respect and observe the rights of others, their mother tongue, religions and cultures.

124. Legislation ensures equal access to education and training of children and pupils with special educational needs, including mentally retarded and disabled children. Practical measures are directed at integrating education and reconstructing the network of special schools by shutting down some of them and reforming the activities of the rest 42. Until January 2010 there were 8305 children and pupils with special educational needs in kindergartens and schools. The normative requirements for the integrated education at such institutions are laid down in the National Education Act and its Regulations, the National
Plan, the Integration of Retarded and Disabled Persons Act.

125. There is also the National Education and Youth Policies Development Programme for 2009–2013. It sets out the strategic priorities of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sciences aimed at ensuring equal access to education and an open educational system.

126. The educational system in Bulgaria also makes extensive use of the UN documents on education. The Human Rights Education in Bulgaria is part of regular curricula in Bulgaria, under Ordinance No2, dated 18 May 2000. Civic education, which is a compulsory cross-curricular element of the general school education and training, ensures plenty of other possibilities for teaching and learning human rights.

NGO Contributions - Bulgaria

Civil society organizations which have submitted a report.

* NGOs with consultative status at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

EAJCW The European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, London, UK.

JS1 Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, Bulgaria; The Advocates for Human Rights, USA.

BGRF Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, Bulgaria.

ILGA The European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association*, Brussels, Belgium.

NNC National Network for Children, Sofia, Bulgaria.

BHC Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Bulgaria.

MDAC Mental Disability Advocacy Centre, Budapest, Hungry.

JS2 Equal Opportunities Association, Sofia, Bulgaria; Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions*, Geneva, Switzerland.

WECF Women in Europe for a Common Future*, Germany.

STP Society for Threatened People*, Göttingen, Germany.

IRPP The Institute on Religion and Public Policy*, Alexandria, USA.

HRC Summary - Bulgaria

Excerpts from the summary by the High Commissioner for Human Rights which deal with the right to education. 

60. MDAC stated that thousands of children with intellectual disabilities were denied their right to education, due to disability based discrimination. (117) NNC recommended that educational institutions be adapted to meet the needs of children with disabilities. (118) It also
recommended that general education schools and kindergartens should be encouraged to admit children with special educational needs and their teachers should be trained to teach these children (119).

61. BHC indicated that most of the Roma children were schooled in territorially segregated schools. (120) PACE noted that the segregated schools, which were in charge of the education of 70 percent of Roma children, have poorer infrastructure and less resources and materials than that of mainstream schools. (121) NNC stated that Roma children had the highest school drop-out rate. (122) It also noted the low percentage of participation of Roma children in the pre-school education. (123) STP stated that a larger investment by Bulgaria in inclusive and quality education for Roma children, including early childhood education and lifelong learning opportunities for Roma adults was required (124).

62. BHC mentioned that despite not having any disabilities, some Roma children were placed in special schools for children with disabilities. (125) ECRI urged Bulgaria to take steps to remove Roma children who are not handicapped from specialised establishments. It recommended taking steps to avoid such placements in future (126).

63. ILGA stated that the educational curricula in Bulgaria was strictly gender biased, represented strong hetero-normative and sexist role of men and women, and excluded lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It urged Bulgaria to ensure that educational methods, curricula and resources serve to enhance understanding of and respect for, inter
alia, diverse sexual orientations and gender identities (127).

64. ECRI stated that Turks had a lower standard of education as compared to people of Bulgarian extraction. (128) It recommended that Bulgaria take steps to improve the standard of education for Turks, which should include the learning of their mother tongue (129).

117 MDAC (Mental Disability Advocacy Centre), p. 6.

118 NNC (National Network for Children), p. 7.

119 NNC, p. 8.

120 BHC (Bulgarian Helsinki Committee), p. 3.

121 PACE, p. 10.

122 NNC, p. 7.

123 NNC, p. 7.

124 STP (Society for Threatened People), pp. 1-2.

125 BHC, p. 3.

126 ECRI (European Commission against Racism and Intolerance), p. 21.

127 ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association), p. 4.

128 ECRI, p. 28.

129 ECRI, p. 29

Read the summary of reports for Bulgaria http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session9/BG/A.HRC.WG.6.9.BGR.3-Bulgaria_eng.pdf

HRC Recommendations - Bulgaria

Bulgaria has received 107 recommendations, 95 of which were accepted. Of the latter, nine dealt with education and one directly with human rights education.

92- Persist in its national efforts aimed at the systematic inclusion of human rights education in its educational and vocational systems and at all school levels (Morocco);

93 - Ensure that Roma children are not sent to special schools for the disabled, but instead are schooled together with other Bulgarian children (Finland);

94 - Evaluate the need for tuition in a special school on the basis of the child's personal characteristics, not on his or her ethnicity (Finland);

95 - Avoid the practice of the school segregation of Roma children, for example with primary school teachers, who are speaking their mother tongue, with the objective of achieving an effective learning of the Bulgarian language and other subjects taught (Spain);

96 - Communicate more efficiently to Roma parents the importance of literacy and the positive effect of education on the children's future, and, in this task, use the help of school assistants with a Romani background (Finland);

97 - Guarantee that the implementation of the law on compulsory preschool education for all children, adopted by Parliament on 23 September, covers the Roma as well as other minorities (Finland); 

98 - Continue its efforts on the issue of inclusion of children with disabilities in the general school system and reducing the number of schools for children with special educational needs (Slovenia);

105 - Pursue its integration policy for the Roma population, guaranteeing access to basic health and social services, education, housing and employment (Spain); 

106 - Promote the identity of the Armenian minority by further addressing its educational, religious and cultural needs (Armenia)

Follow-up of Recommendations - Bulgaria