17.Institutions
The National Assembly of Republic of Bulgaria vested with the legislative authority and, in the performance of this function, adopts laws in the field of education. It elects from among its members Permanent and Ad hoc Committees. The Permanent Committees assist the activity of the National Assembly and exercise on its behalf parliamentary control. The Committees consider bills, draft resolutions, declarations and addresses, and prepare reports, make recommendations and give opinions thereon. The Ad hoc Committees are elected on a particular occasion to investigate specific matters and to conduct inquiries.
Committee on Education and Science is a permanent committee composed of 21 members of parliament. During its sessions are discussed issues and regulations related to education and science. www.parliament.bg
Pursuant to and in implementation of the laws, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria adopt decrees, ordinances and resolutions. The Council of Ministers promulgate rules and regulations by decree including in the field of education. www.government.bg
The Ministry of Education and Science is an administration that supports the minister of education and science in the execution of the responsibilities. The Ministry is responsible for the implementation of the state policy in the education and research areas, prepare strategies for development of the both sectors in compliance with the EU policies and also ensure the execution of the international agreements in the education and science areas where Republic of Bulgaria is a party. The minister represents Bulgaria in the international organisations. The minister allocates and controls the spending of the funds from the state budget for education and science, manages and coordinates the development of models for management, structure, monitoring and source ensuring in both sectors, organizes development and implementation of national programmes for development of the pre-school and school, and higher education and of research including for development of the science potential, coordinates the execution of the social policy concerning the issues related to employment, level of income in the education and science systems, etc. www.mon.bg
The National Inspectorate of Education within the Council of Ministers is authority for external supervision of the kindergartens and schools. www.nio.government.bg
28 Regional departments of education: The management of education at regional level is carried out by the Regional departments of Education. They are territorial administration units, subordinate to the Minister of Education and Science, for management and control of the school system, which implement the state educational policy on the territory of the respective districts. https://www.mon.bg/bg/324
The Institute of Education was established by Order of the Minister of Education dated 19.11.2024 and unites the Center for Assessment in Preschool and School Education, the Center for Information Provision of Education and the Center for Training Companies. It carries out research and information activities; organizational and/or methodological support; activities related to the qualification of pedagogical specialists; activities for organizing, preparing and conducting internal and external assessment and participation in international research related to preschool and school education; activities for managing international programs.
National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET): NAVET is a specialised body to the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria established under the Vocational Education and Training Act in 2000. NAVET is a part of functioning mechanism of stakeholders activities coordination and concordance on a national level aiming at developing a system for vocational education and training meeting the labour market dynamic requirements and needs, providing Bulgarian citizens with flexible opportunities for lifelong development of their employability. NAVET supports the realisation of national and European priorities related to the improvement of the access to and the quality of the vocational education and training in compliance with the needs of the labour market and the requirements of the economy in the context of lifelong learning. The Agency issue and withdraw licences for vocational training and professional guidance, control the activities and assess the quality of training in licensed institutions in the vocational training system, work out and propose to the Minister of education and science the List of the professions for vocational education and training, the state educational standards for acquiring qualification on professions, participate in the working out of ordinances and strategies, make proposals for improvement of the system of vocational education and training. NAVET assign the carrying out and the implementation of scientific research in the sphere of the vocational education, training and orientation, contribute for the international acknowledgement of the documents for vocational education and training; create and maintain register for the centres for vocational training and of the centres for information and professional orientation, for the issued and withdrawn licenses and issued documents, provides methodological support to the vocational training centres validating professional knowledge, skills and competences within the vocational education and training system. www.navet.government.bg
Licensed Vocational Training Centers provide citizens over 16 years old with training in professions from List of Professions for Vocational Education and the licensed Training and Centres for Information and Vocational Guidance provide professional guidance to pupils and other individuals. They are established according to the Vocational Education and Training Act and they can be state, municipal or private, Bulgarian with foreign participation or foreign.
The National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA) within the Council of Ministers is a specialised state body for evaluation, accreditation and control of the quality of the activities, executing by the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). NEAA evaluates projects for opening and transformation of higher education institutions, main units, branches, units of higher education institutions territorially located elsewhere, professional fields and specialties of the regulated professions, and performs institutional and programme accreditation, as well as post-accreditation monitoring. www.neaa.government.bg
The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy: www.mlsp.government.bg This Ministry is responsible for the vocational training of the employed and the unemployed. It draws up an annual “National Employment Plan”. he Ministry of Labour and Social Policy is responsible for establishing vocational training needs by analysing the labour market.
The Bulgarian Employment Agency: www.az.goernment.bg The agency, and its subordinate local branches-the employment offices, is an agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. It is responsible for employment promotion, supervision of the labour market, occupational advice, and education and training for the unemployed and those in employment (vocational training and motivational measures). The employment offices play the main role in vocational training for the unemployed by commissioning courses from local education and training providers, which they also fund.
The Employers: In-service training plans are far more common among enterprises in the public sector and major companies than in private businesses and micro enterprises. In-service training is found more often in larger enterprises.
Trade Unions: The trade unions have the new role as independent representative bodies, and the rapid changes in society and legislation to which trade union officials needed to adapt, continuing vocational education and training as well as democracy training – in terms of builing up active citizenship in the Bulgarian society. Courses are opened up to participants from outside the ranks of the trade unions.
Bulgarian Chamber of Craft Trades: www.nzkbg.org Training for craft trade apprentices is governed by the regulations of the Bulgarian Chamber of Craft Trades, which are drawn up in consultation with the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training.
Cultural Centres “Čitálishta”: www.chitalishte.bg The Bulgarian cultural centres are self-governing cultural and educational institutions with a separate legal status, whose tradition dates back to the 19th century. Their activties have expanded during the years and laid the foundation for many aspects of modern cultural life in Bulgaria. The more active cultural centres are now once again in effect independent adult education institutions which are combined into several national networks.