Bulgarian civic and citizenship education in transition

Abstract

In 2016, a new Pre-School and School Education Act was adopted in Bulgaria. This led to considerable change in the school system and in the concept of secondary education. The goal is a complete reform of the school system, school life, teaching content (in all school subjects), and teachers' training. This involves a new educational paradigm and has a profound impact on all aspects of education-promoting the intellectual, emotional, social, moral, and physical development of every child. Civic competence has recently become a focus of education policy. The current concept of civic and citizenship education reflects experts' agreement that the social mission of civic education is to harmonize the relationship between the individual and the state and to promote the successful integration of young people into society. Although significant changes in education have been made in recent years there are problematic areas related to the quality and efficiency of civic education in Bulgaria, which are still debated.