Bulgaria – In an ambitious drive to re-integrate students who have fallen out of the traditional schooling system, the Bulgarian government announced on Tuesday that over the past six years, more than 50,000 children have been re-enrolled and retained in schools. This achievement was highlighted by Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov during a briefing at the Council of Ministers.
Following a coordination meeting focused on drop-out prevention and educational inclusion, Prime Minister Denkov lauded the use of the outreach mechanism. This approach has been employed for several years and seeks to re-integrate children who’ve previously left the school system.
During the meeting, Education and Science Minister Galin Tzokov laid out the government’s future strategy. He briefed the newly-appointed regional governors and responsible institutional representatives about the impending steps to optimize this outreach mechanism.
“Addressing this issue demands a consolidated effort across various ministries and institutions,” Prime Minister Denkov emphasized.
Read more: DepEd Announces Major Revamp of K-12 Curriculum to Enhance Graduate Readiness
The recent gathering saw discussions around the scheduling of dedicated teams that would initiate visits to households, engage with parents, and facilitate the return of children to the classrooms, especially after the commencement of a new academic year. Moreover, there’s an ongoing discussion about potential amendments to the decree overseeing these outreach programs, with the goal of fine-tuning some of its existing deadlines.
This collaborative endeavor witnessed participation from several key stakeholders. Aside from Prime Minister Denkov, representatives from the realms of education and science, labour and social policy, health, regional development, public works, finance, and the interior ministry attended the meeting. Additionally, officials from the State Agency for Child Protection, Social Assistance Agency, the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria, and regional governors also provided their insights.
The nation’s proactive approach to tackle the issue of school dropouts and its success so far stands as a testament to Bulgaria’s commitment to ensuring every child’s right to education.
Read more: DepEd Secretary and VP Duterte Defends DepEd’s P150-M Confidential Fund: Education Tied to Security
