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Why and how should I enroll my child in a Bulgarian school?
Useful information for parents from Ukraine
- Education in Bulgaria is compulsory for children up to the age of 16 and free in municipal and state schools
- Attending education is much more efficient and qualitative
- Meeting other children creates new friendships and diverse experiences
- My child will have a dynamic daily routine, and I, as a parent, will have more time
- My child will learn a new language
- My child will be part of a European education system and will receive a diploma recognized everywhere in the European Union
- My child will have the opportunity to be involved in a variety of extracurricular cultural and sports activities
What is important to know about the Bulgarian education system?
- The school year starts on September 15 and ends between May 24 and June 30
- There is one compulsory pre-school year for children aged 5/6 and children in first grade are aged 6/7.
- Education is divided into four stages (basic up to 4th grade, junior high school up to 7th, first high school stage - up to 10th and second high school stage - up to 12th), each of which ends with an exam
- The education is conducted in Bulgarian, and a foreign language is also actively studied from the initial stage
- There are general education and vocational high schools with diverse language and practical profiles.
How do I enroll my child in school?
I am filling out a special application for admission
It can be downloaded from the national portal for Ukraine at this address:
https://ukraine.gov.bg/ua/education/
It can also be filled out on the spot at the Regional Department of Education (RDE). These are the local education authorities. There are such in all 28 regional cities in Bulgaria: Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna, Stara Zagora, Dobrich, etc.
Where are the regional offices of education (RDE)?
To apply, you need to be registered for temporary or international protection.
I submit the application to the RDE in my area
This can be done in person or by email. However, it is better to go to the place to explain your child’s educational path in more detail to the experts there.
Within seven days of submitting the application, your child will be directed to a specific school based on your address, the child’s profile and the capabilities of the education system. You will receive the information on site at the RDE, by phone or by email (do not forget to clarify this with the experts – it is important to fill in correct contact details).
I go to the school designated by the RDE
If your child does not have a high school diploma from Ukraine:
It will be recorded by age in the corresponding class if it is up to 4th grade;
A school committee appointed by the principal will determine his class after interviewing the child and you. In this case, the child will have to take exams for the previous class of the one in which he is enrolled after enrollment within the academic year.
If your child has a high school diploma from Ukraine, it will be enrolled after its recognition.
For grades one to six, this is done by the school principal.
For grades seven through 12, you must reapply to the regional board of education.
Health requirements for my child
For the safety of children at school, the Bulgarian health authorities require mandatory vaccinations from all students.
Health documents will be required by the school principal when you go to enroll your child after referral from the regional administration.
- In the European Union, there are very strict rules for the approval of vaccines. All licensed vaccines in Bulgaria have been approved by the European Medicines Agency.
- Vaccines in Bulgaria protect children from 11 particularly dangerous infectious diseases: tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, IBS, pneumococcal infections, measles, mumps and rubella.
How do I provide documentation of my child's vaccination status?
Look for the vaccination documents from Ukraine
If you do not bring your child’s vaccination documents, try to contact your family doctor in Ukraine. He can send you the necessary documents electronically.
If you do not have a relationship with your family doctor, you can seek help from another medical person in Ukraine or from the embassy.
If you are unable to get the documents from Ukraine, don’t worry. The Bulgarian health authorities have prepared a short and safe vaccination cycle, which is administered to children without data on previous vaccines.
Go to a doctor who will draw up an individual vaccination plan for your child
If the child has a personal doctor in Bulgaria, he will examine the vaccination documents, if you have them, and prepare an individual vaccination plan.
If you don’t have a personal doctor, doctors at the Regional Health Inspectorate will do it. These are the local health authorities.
Where are the regional health inspections?
The contacts of all regional health inspectorates are available on the national portal for Ukraine: https://ukraine.gov.bg/bg/health-information/
After enrolling in school
Your child has the right to additional training in the Bulgarian language. Submit a free-text request to the director to arrange for such training.
Even before that, your child can start preparing through these free textbooks.
Contact the Bulgarian Red Cross, where you will receive support for buying school supplies.
