Ukraine and Bulgaria Expand Education Partnership: Outcomes of Intergovernmental Consultations
Today, intergovernmental consultations between Ukraine and the Republic of Bulgaria took place with the participation of Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko and Prime Minister of Bulgaria Andrey Gyurov.
As part of the consultations, Ukraine’s Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, met with Bulgaria’s Minister of Education and Science, Sergei Ignatov. During the meeting, the parties discussed further development of bilateral cooperation in education, as well as opportunities to strengthen the Ukrainian educational component in Bulgaria.
Priority areas for further cooperation include:
teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language in Bulgarian schools and its inclusion in the official list of foreign languages in Bulgaria;
introducing a Ukrainian educational component in Bulgarian educational institutions;
strengthening cooperation between educational and research institutions of Ukraine and Bulgaria;
the accession of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” to Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies — an initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, implemented in cooperation with the President’s Fund for Support of Education, Science and Sports, the Ukrainian Institute, the Crimea Platform Office, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;
exploring opportunities for joint work on educational content (including textbooks and historical materials) to ensure an objective representation of Ukraine’s history in Bulgaria and Bulgaria’s history in Ukraine.
Another important outcome of the meeting was the signing of a Protocol on the functioning of the regional institution “Bolhrad Gymnasium named after G. S. Rakovsky” in Odesa region. The Protocol was signed between the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The key objective is to strengthen the development of the Bolhrad Gymnasium as an educational institution serving the Bulgarian community in Ukraine. In particular, the plans include:
expanding cooperation with educational institutions in Ukraine and Bulgaria;
promoting the participation of students and teachers in international projects, seminars, conferences, competitions, and festivals;
providing the institution with modern educational and methodological materials, including those necessary for high-quality teaching of the Bulgarian language and literature, as well as subjects taught in Bulgarian.
In addition, the parties proposed to consider the possibility of establishing a Ukrainian school in Bulgaria based on the model of the Rakovsky Gymnasium, which would contribute to preserving the Ukrainian identity of students.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine expresses its gratitude to the Bulgarian side for the constructive dialogue, openness to cooperation, and readiness to further develop joint educational initiatives.