General secondary education in Bulgaria: administrative law aspects

In the article, the author analyses the system of general secondary education in the Republic of Bulgaria from the perspective of administrative law and also examines the regulatory framework for education in this country with a view to identifying the specific features of school education which determine its efficiency and quality. The fundamental rights of Bulgarian citizens to education are enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria. Education in Bulgaria is a national priority, and therefore educational policy is formed and implemented on the following principles: a unified state educational policy to ensure the right to preschool and school education; focus on the interest and motivation of the child and pupil, on age and social changes in life, as well as on the ability to apply the acquired competences in practice. Having analysed the fundamental law of the Republic of Bulgaria “On Preschool and School Education”, the author notes that it is supplemented by a significant number of legal acts issued in the form of resolutions of the Council of Ministers, orders of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria and a number of other ministries on specialised education programmes. The author pays particular attention to the distribution of administrative powers in the field of education between the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria, regional education departments, local self-government bodies and educational institutions. In the author’s opinion, the activities of bodies for consideration and addressing of a wide range of issues at the school level are worthy of further study: these are pedagogical councils, public councils established at each school, and boards of trustees established to attract additional financial and material resources to support school activities and control their intended use. Based on the study, the author concludes that public administration of the general secondary education in Bulgaria is characterised by deep democratization and decentralization, as well as expansion of the autonomy given to schools. While the main subject of public administration in the field of general secondary education in Bulgaria is the Ministry of Science and Education, a significant role is also played by regional education departments and local governments, where the former provide methodological support to educational institutions, and the latter supervise and control directly the educational institutions.