News

Schools involved in integrated municipal projects under the Socio-economic Integration of Marginalized Groups. Integrated Measures to Improve Access to Education procedure will now be able to participate in the Support to Success project. The same applies to kindergartens - partners in the same integrated projects, which will be able to participate in the Active inclusion in the system of pre-school education project. That became clear after the OPSESG Executive Agency published a specific guidance in this regard.

All schools partnering to 48 municipalities within the Integrated Procedure Socio-Economic Integration of Marginalized Groups. Integrated measures to improve access to education, were excluded at the launch of the Support to Success project, since the distinction between the two operations was made at school level. In other words, schools and kindergartens participating in integrated municipal projects were not eligible to participate in large projects of the Ministry of education, such as Support to Success and Active Inclusion projects. The Amalipe Center immediately informed about this unfair requirement and asked the Ministry to make a distinction at student or specific activity level, thus allowing the participation of schools and kindergartens in more than one procedure in order to achieve a real impact on the better literacy of pupils and children. Heads of schools from Every Student Will Be A Winner Network discussed the issue with Minister Valchev during a round table, following the official opening of Open Heart Roma Children Festival in Veliko Tarnovo. The Minister of Education supported their arguments and committed to removing the restriction.

The guidelines published by the OPSESG Executive Agency require demarcation at a student or child level for activities related to further training in Bulgarian language. This means that one and the same child cannot participate in additional Bulgarian language trainings on both integrated municipal projects and Support to Success or Active Inclusion within the same school year. However, schools can participate in both projects by including different students in additional Bulgarian language training. The only restriction on this activity is related to parental involvement. Those parents who are the target of integrated municipal projects cannot be targetted within Success to Support or Active Inclusion. The latter does not mean that mediators cannot be hired under programs of the Ministry. Mediators could be hired on all three operations, and they will work with different parents.

For all other activities, the demarcation between the two programs is on activity level. That means, the same child can participate in different activities under the different programs. For example, there is no problem for a student to participate in a summer camp within integrated municipal projects and in additional training within the Support to Success project.

Amalipe Center congratulates the Ministry of Education and Science and the OPSESG Executive Agency for the change, that will enable participation and sustainable impact for tens of thousands of children and students!