On some general trends in Bulgarian educational system

Abstract

According to the historical data, in 1119, even before the establishment of Oxbridge universities in the UK (Oxford estab. 1096, Cambridge estab. 1209), the Bulgarians founded the first university in Europe—Universitato Bulgaro in Bologna. In the university courtyard there was a church called St. Maria of Bulgaria. The university was located on the premises of the house of a Bologna lawyer Bulgaro de Bulgari, nicknamed Chrysostom, the then vicar of Bologna. His personality was given a dedicated entry in the Italian Encyclopedia. The Bulgarian University was independent of the church and had 10,000 students from all over Europe. Famous scientists such as Thomas Becket, Dante Alighieri, Erasmus Roterdamsky, and Nicolaus Copernicus gave lectures at the university. So, the Bulgarians (Bogomils) stand at the origins of European educational system. Modern Bulgaria learns from its former “students”. The question arises, is there anything to learn? Perhaps, traditional national educational system does not need profound revolutions (destruction), instead, it can benefit from a few adjustments embracing modern information technologies? Answering these questions, the article outlines general trends in modern educational system of Bulgaria. The same trends are also observed in other post-socialist states. The study explores modern socio-economic phenomena that determine the content of Bulgarian national educational system, in particular, it focuses on its current state. The results obtained through theoretical analysis are described as current trends in education: global standardization of educational systems; training a leader, instead of training the person intrinsically; demographic crisis and economic migration of young people; preference for Western universities; university funding at the expense of students; challenges facing universities in creating their own production and practical training facilities; refusal of the state to function as the patron of education; priority of dual education, etc.