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1. Policy Framework

2. Formal learning

Policy Framework

Bulgaria does not have stand-alone national strategy exclusively dedicated to “learning to participate”. Instead, the development of social and civic competences is embedded within several overarching strategic and legislative frameworks covering education and youth policy.

The main relevant documents are:

• National Youth Strategy 2021-2030 (Национална стратегия за младежта 2021-2030), which promotes active citizenship, youth participation and civic engagement as strategic priorities.
• Pre-school and School Education Act (Закон за предучилищното и училищното образование) (effective from 1 August 2016, last amendment and supplement 5 August 2025), which regulates formal education and sets the basis for the development of key competences, including civic and social competences, within the school system.

Within the national education system civic, social and intercultural competences are integrated into the curriculum under the framework of key competences. Civic education is taught as a separate subject in grades 11 and 12. Cross-curricular approaches promote democratic values, human rights, media literacy and participation.

The policy framework does not restrict civic competence development to a specific category of young people. It is intended for all children and young people within the education and youth systems. However, several strategic documents identify priority groups requiring targeted measures:

Under the National Youth Strategy 2021-2030 and related programmes, particular attention is given to:

• Young people with fewer opportunities;
• NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training);
• Young people from rural and remote areas;

In the education sector, inclusion policies target:

• Students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds;
• Students with special educational needs;
• Children whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian.

Formal learning

Social and civic competences are incorporated into upper secondary education through both separate subjects and an integrated cross-curricular approach. Civic and citizenship-related learning is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria under the provisions of the Pre-school and School Education Act.

Citizenship education is delivered through a separate compulsory subject – Civic Education (grades 11 and 12), integrated content in subjects such as History and Civilisations, Philosophy, Ethics and Law, Geography and Economics, and a broader cross-curricular approach, embedded in the framework of key competences.

The Pre-school and School Education Act defines the development of civic competences as a key objective of school education. Civic, social and intercultural competences are included among the eight key competences for lifelong learning, aligned with the European Reference Framework.

Since the 2018/2019 school year, Civic Education has been introduced as a compulsory subject in the second stage of upper secondary education (grades 11 and 12). The curriculum is approved by the Ministry of Education and Science and is compulsory for all general education and vocational education programmes at upper secondary level. In vocational education and training (VET), civic competences are also integrated within general education subjects that form part of the compulsory curriculum.

According to the national curriculum (Наредба за гражданското, здравното, екологичното и интеркултурното образование) (effective from 11 October 2016, last amendment and supplement 1 September 2023), civic education aims to develop:

• principles of democracy, rule of law and human rights
• structure and functioning of Bulgarian state institutions
• Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria
• Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union
• political processes and civil society
• media literacy and digital citizenship
• skills
• critical thinking and analytical skills
• participation in democratic processes
• debate and reasoning
• decision-making and problem-solving
• conflict resolution
• active civic engagement
• values and attitudes
• respect for human rights and diversity
• tolerance and intercultural understanding
• responsibility and solidarity
• active citizenship and participation
• commitment to democratic principles

The learning approach encourages interactive methods, discussions, simulations, project-based learning and participation in school self-governance structures.

Civic and social competences are further reinforced through:

• History and Civilisations (democratic development, totalitarian regimes, European integration)
• Philosophy and Ethics (values, justice, rights, identity)
• Geography and Economics (globalisation, sustainable development)
• School-based initiatives such as student councils and community projects

Schools are encouraged to apply interdisciplinary and participatory teaching methods, contributing to the development of democratic school culture.

Non-formal and informal learning

Non-formal and informal learning play an important role in fostering young people’s social and civic competences. The policy framework combines regulations within formal education, national youth policies, EU-funded programmes and partnerships between schools, municipalities and youth organisations. The overall coordination lies with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Student participation in decision-making at school level is regulated by the Pre-school and School Education Act and related secondary legislation – Ordinance on Civic, Health, Environmental and Intercultural Education (Наредба за гражданското, здравното, екологичното и интеркултурното образование) (effective from 11 October 2016, last amendment and supplement 1 September 2023).

Schools are required to establish Public Councils (including parent and community representatives) and are encouraged to support student councils/parliaments as representative bodies of school students. (See section 5.3)

The Act promotes democratic school governance and active student involvement as part of the school’s institutional development strategy.

Large-scale support for participatory skills development is provided through national and EU-funded programmes, particularly under:

• Erasmus+ Programme (Key Action 1 and 2 projects on civic participation, student democracy and school partnerships);
• National projects financed under the Education Programme 2021-2027 (програма „Образование“) (co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus).
• Teacher training on democratic school culture, student participation and civic education is organised through the national system for teacher qualification coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The national curriculum for civic education (grades 11–12) encourages practical engagement through:

• community-based projects
• simulations of democratic processes
• voluntary initiatives
• cooperation with local authorities and NGOs
• project-based learning and volunteer activities may be integrated into school annual plans and extracurricular activities.

Several national and EU-supported initiatives provide opportunities for participation outside school:

• European Solidarity Corps – supports youth volunteering and solidarity projects;
• National youth programmes – funds youth-led civic initiatives and local community projects;
• Municipal youth strategies and youth centres established under EU funding (including centres supported via the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and those established under the Recovery and Resilience Plan).

Furthermore, schools cooperate with municipalities in initiatives related to environmental protection, social inclusion, cultural heritage and local democratic life.

Partnerships between schools and youth organisations are encouraged under the Youth Act, the Pre-school and School Education Act, the National Youth Strategy.

The Youth Act regulates state support for youth activities and recognises youth organisations as key partners in implementing youth policy. Strategic documents promote cross-sectoral cooperation between:

• schools
• youth NGOs
• municipal authorities
• youth centres
• community centres (chitalishta)
• financial support

Public funding sources include national youth programmes (state budget, administered by the Ministry of Youth and Sports), Erasmus+ Programme, European Solidarity Corps, Education Programme 2021-2027 (ESF+), municipal funds for youth.

Funding supports joint school-NGO projects, youth participation initiatives, civic campaigns, peer education and non-formal training activities.

Quality assurance/ quality guidelines for non-formal learning

There is no single comprehensive national quality assurance system exclusively dedicated to non-formal learning in the youth field. However, quality assurance mechanisms are embedded in several regulatory, funding and programme frameworks at national and European level.

Quality monitoring is primarily linked to the publicly funded youth programmes, EU-funded projects, youth centres operating under specific funding schemes, project-based grant management and reporting systems.

The overall coordination of youth policy is ensured by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, while school-related non-formal initiatives fall under the Ministry of Education and Science.

Quality assurance of non-formal learning is mainly ensured through project-based monitoring mechanisms linked to national and EU funding. Under the Youth Act and the national youth programmes, organisations receiving public funding must go through competitive selection procedures, sign contracts with clearly defined objectives and indicators, and submit interim and final narrative and financial reports. Monitoring visits, documentary checks and quantitative reporting (e.g. number of participants and activities) are also required to verify compliance and results.

Projects funded under Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps follow additional EU-level quality standards. These include ex-ante quality assessment, impact and dissemination requirements, participant feedback surveys, monitoring by the National Agency and final evaluation reports assessing learning outcomes and overall impact. Youth centres funded through public or EEA/Norway Grants operate under approved annual work plans, internal monitoring systems and, in some cases, external evaluations.

Across programmes, quality is assessed based on several common criteria: relevance to national youth policy objectives, contribution to civic and social competences, accessibility and inclusion of disadvantaged groups, active youth participation, sound management and sustainability. Quantitative indicators such as the number and profile of participants, activities delivered and outreach efforts are also used.

Quality assurance mechanisms typically result in written feedback to beneficiaries, recommendations for improvement, public reporting and, where necessary, financial corrections. In EU programmes, quality assessments may influence future funding opportunities. However, Bulgaria does not have a unified national accreditation system for non-formal learning providers, nor a standardised framework for validating learning outcomes from non-formal civic education; validation remains limited and largely project-based.

Educator’s support

Teachers, trainers, non-formal education workers and youth workers have access to continuous professional development opportunities related to the development of social and civic competences. Support is provided through the national teacher qualification system, youth policy programmes and EU-funded initiatives.

Teachers in formal education

Continuous professional development for teachers is regulated under the Pre-school and School Education Act and related ordinances on teachers’ status and professional development, for example, the Ordinance on the Status and Professional Development of Teachers, Principals and Other Pedagogical Specialists (Наредба за статута и професионалното развитие на учителите, директорите и другите педагогически специалисти) (effective from 2 August 2019, last amendment and supplement 23 December 2025).

The system is coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Science. Teachers are required to participate in regular qualification activities in order to maintain and upgrade their professional qualification degree.

Training related to civic and social competences includes:

• civic and human rights education

• democratic school culture

• media literacy and digital citizenship

• intercultural education

• anti-discrimination and inclusive education

• global and environmental education

Accredited training providers include universities, teacher training institutions and registered private organisations. Participation in training leads to qualification credits recognised within the national teacher career development framework. The National Centre for Qualification and various Regional Education Directorates also organise thematic seminars and methodological support activities.

Youth workers and non-formal education providers

Youth workers’ training is supported under the Youth Act and implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Opportunities include:

• training projects funded under the national youth programmes;

• capacity-building activities under the Erasmus+ Programme (Youth field);

• training courses, partnerships and mobility activities under the European Solidarity Corps;

• international training opportunities coordinated through the SALTO-YOUTH network.

While Bulgaria does not yet have a fully institutionalised national certification system for youth workers, project-based certification and Youthpass certificates (within Erasmus+ and ESC) are commonly used to validate learning outcomes in non-formal education.

Educators have access to methodological guidance and teaching materials through:

• The official website of the Ministry of Education and Science (curricula, guidelines and methodological materials)

• The National portal for education resources:

• The Bulgarian Erasmus+ National Agency (Human Resource Development Centre) (training opportunities, handbooks and resources):

• The European Youth Portal (information and tools for youth participation projects):

Furthermore, schools and youth organisations use Council of Europe resources (e.g. Compass – Manual for Human Rights Education with Young People) and EU-developed competence frameworks (e.g. Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, DigComp).

Support for educators is also provided through professional networks, partnerships and events, including:

• National and regional teacher qualification forums organised by the Ministry of Education and Science;

• Youth sector consultations and thematic conferences organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports;

• Erasmus+ information days, contact seminars and training events;

• School partnerships and strategic partnerships projects under Erasmus+;

• Municipal youth forums and youth participation events.

These networks facilitate exchange of good practices, peer learning and cooperation between schools, youth organisations and public authorities.