02.06.2017Should we have free kindergartens
Kindergartens'fees to drop believe 75% of Bulgarians
For the third consecutive year Center "Amalipe" is a contractor of the "Ready for School" project, supported by the Trust for Social Achievement, with the financial support of the World Bank and the America for Bulgaria Foundation. Ready for school project provides free access to kindergartens for children aged 3-6 from disadvantaged families. At the end of the third year of the project's implementation, a survey by the Alfarisch polling agency shows that three out of four respondents believe that kindergarten for 3 to 4 year-old children should be free of charge. Almost the same number (73%) shared their opinion that there should be no fees for the 5- and 6-year-olds, as well. The poll was conducted at the initiative of the Trust for Social Achievement within the Ready for School project for access to kindergartens.
According to the survey, lack of fees will allow more children to attend childcare facilities. In turn, this would lead to better preparation for schooling. 35% of parents believe that removing kindergartens fees will generally improve the children's communication skills. According to the majority of respondents (64%), the abolition of fees would alleviate the family budget. Another 60% believe that the main use would be that more children would attend kindergartens, 46% think that they will be better prepared for school, and according to 36% this will generally improve the skills of communication. Nearly half - 47% of the responded said that parents would feel secured by the state, and 20% felt that the lack of fees would lead to an increase in employment opportunities.
"We are not surprised by the results and will look for a dialogue to discuss changes in legislation with representatives of the institutions," said Evgenia Volen, director of pre-school programs at the TSA. According to the Foundation, the abolition of pre-school fees is a good practice in countries where the gap between different classes is being sought by providing early access to education for economically disadvantaged people.
The survey is nationally represented and covers 1022 adult citizens in the country for the period April 12-24, 2017.
Fees for kindergartens in Bulgaria are voted on the municipal level. In Sofia, parents pay 60 BGN per month, deducted from the non-attendant days. So the fee may fall to 30 BGN. Typically, the price in the different municipalities is between BGN 30 and 50. In some municipalities, such as Nessebar, Primorsko, Etropole, and Zlataritsa kindergartens are free.
For information about the Ready for School project see at:
