Unanimously with forty votes for, zero votes against, and zero abstained, the City Council of Plovdiv adopted the 2017-2020 Education Development Strategy of the municipality on July 27, 2017.

The document was written in collaboration with Teach For Bulgaria and has the purpose to create a contemporary vision for education in Plovdiv. The strategy has specific objectives, areas of influence, actions of priority, and KPIs which meet the needs and capability of local authorities, population, and business.

The ultimate goal of the strategy is for every young citizen of Plovdiv to have attained a basic level of competence of key 21-century skills. The long term vision of education in Plovdiv is to provide supportive environment and opportunities for all children and young people to be able to unlock their full potential. Supportive environment and development opportunities will attract, develop, and retain effective specialists for industries and economies with high added value as well as unique talents to contribute to a richer cultural and intellectual life.

The document states specific measures and actions divided into five main priorities:

1. provision of all necessary conditions for better quality education as well as children and student support, including students enrolled in university programs;
2. maintenance and development of school and kindergarten amenities and facilities;
3. support in the development of key pedagogical staff;
4. career orientation and trainings to students, including university students;
5. coordination and effective collaboration between institutions and stakeholders in the education system

Stefan Stoyanov, Deputy Mayor of Plovdiv, experts from the local administration, principals, teachers, university professors, local business representatives, and representatives from the NGO sector all participated in the strategy workgroup lead by Anna-Marie Vilamovska. The CEO of Teach For Bulgaria, Evgenia Peeva-Kirova, Program Director- Trayan Trayanov, Chief Officer of Public Partnerships- Neli Koleva and Teach For Bulgaria alumni Georgi Dyankov and Kristina Rangelova represented the organisation in the strategy workgroup.

You can find more information about the strategy at Plovdiv Municipality’s website here.

You can find a summary of the strategy here: