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EACEA National Policies Platform
Bulgaria

Bulgaria

8. Creativity and Culture

8.5 Developing cultural and creative competences

Last update: 28 November 2023
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  1. Acquiring cultural and creative competences through education and training
  2. Specialised training for professionals in the education, culture and youth fields
  3. Providing quality access to creative environments

Acquiring cultural and creative competences through education and training

Ordinance No 5 of 30 November 2015 on general education (Наредба № 5 от 30 ноември 2015 г. за общообразователната подготовка) issued by the Minister of Education and Science and effective from 08.12.2015 defines the state standard of general education. General education is obtained during the entire course of school education and among other covers key competences in the field of culture and skills for creative expression. Music, Arts, Technologies and Entrepreneurship are among the subjects comprised in the general education.

Specialised training for professionals in the education, culture and youth fields

In accordance with Ordinance No 7 of 11 August 2016 on profiled education (Наредба № 7 от 11 август 2016 г. за профилираната подготовка) issued by the Minister of Education and Science and effective from 26.08.2016, the state standard of education for profiled education is a set of requirements to the results from the course of study on compulsory modules of each profiled subject, and determines the competences – knowledge, skills and attitudes, expected to be acquired at the end of the upper secondary education.

The specific objectives of music training are:

  • to expand and deepen the knowledge and skills on musical culture of students by mastering competences of theory and history of music arts;
  • to develop skills for cultural and creative expression;
  • to establish behavioural models for active musical culture of students as part of the system of modern culture;
  • to realise the role of musical culture as an important factor in the globalization of contemporary world.

The specific objectives of fine arts training are:

    • to develop artistic culture of students through mastering fundamental knowledge about the theory and history of fine arts;
    • to stimulate abilities for creative self-expression through the application of basic means of expression;
    • to comment visual culture as part of the system of modern culture;
    • to understand the role of visual culture as an important factor in the globalization of contemporary world.

There are 23 profiled secondary schools of arts and culture across the country. In terms of territorial scope, schools of arts and schools of culture are located in 12 administrative districts in the country. There are 10 artistic schools that educate students for the professions artist and designer – in Sofia, Plovdiv, Kazanlak, Sliven, Troyan, Tryavna, Smolyan and Kunino; 6 music schools, including 4 schools for classical music instruments, singing and classical dances – in Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Stara Zagora; 2 schools for folk instruments and folk singing and Buglarian dances – in Kotel and Shiroka Laka; 3 art schools – in Ruse, Varna and Pleven, for music, painting and dancing arts; National School of Dancing Arts in Sofia; National Secondary School of Ancient Languages and Cultures “Konstantin Kiril Filosof” in Sofia; National School Complex of Culture with Italian Language and Culture College in Gorna Banya /Sofia/  with the participation of the Republic of Italy; National Vocational Secondary School of Polygraphics and Photography in Sofia.

Upon graduation students in the schools of arts sit state exams on theory and practice of profession in accordance with national examination programs approved by the Minister of Culture. There are national examination programs approved for obtaining the professional qualifications for the following professions: musician-instrumentalist and musician-vocalist for classical instruments, classical singing, pop and jazz singing; musician-instrumentalist and musician-vocalist for folk instruments and folk singing; artist; designer; ballet-dancer; dancer – Bulgarian dances; dancer – modern dances; actor – drama theater; actor – puppet theater; stone-cutter.

 

The University of Veliko Tarnovo (Великотърновски университет) offers master’s program Social and Educational Work with Young People (Социалнопедагогическа работа с младежи). The master’s program is aimed at ensuring extended general theoretical, methodological and practical training of future specialists for their successful professional work as youth workers. It is based on modern socio-economic needs and the specificity of work with young people from different social groups.

The master’s program ensures:

  • training for pursuing the youth worker profession through development of professional competences;
  • improvement of educational, social, pedagogical, psychological and research potential of future pedagogic specialists.

Knowledge:

  • profound theoretical knowledge of legal and regulatory foundations of the organization of youth policies and the governance of these policies from the perspectives of governmental sector and regional priorities;
  • knowledge about youth policy in Bulgaria, its actual status and priorities, with specific focus on social and educational aspects;
  • knowledge of youth as sociodemographic group, focusing on its demographic profile, education structure, attitudes to family and marriage;
  • knowledge of specificity of professional work in support of young people with regard to education, employment, creation of family and full-value realisation.

Skills:

  • skills for social and educational, and consultancy activity in different sectors of social sphere, of educational system and in youth-related nongovernmental and public structures;
  • general and special skills to work for developing young people’s abilities;
  • skills for adaptation, for making mobile and adequate decisions in accordance with advanced scientific achievements and the changing social environment and with the social context of young people;
  • skills for organizing and holding integrated and individual training;
  • skills for work in multicultural educational environment;
  • skills for identification and formation of cultural needs of varied social groups;
  • skills for development and implementation of cultural and educational programs;

National Sports Academy “Vasil Levski” offers master’s degree program “Youth Activities and Sport”. The main skills and competences provided by this master’s degree program are as follows:

  • Work in national and international teams
  • Preparation and analysis of normative documents
  • Insurance and management of information
  • Development of ideas, projects and scientific data
  • Organization and management of project activities
  • Interrelation between different state, private, public and non-governmental youth organizations

     

Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts “Prof. Asen Diamandiev” – Plovdiv (Академия за музикално, танцово и изобразително изкуство "Проф. Асен Диамандиев" – Пловдив) is an accredited higher education institution providing training for bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees in various specialties of different arts: music or fine arts pedagogy, performing art (classical, folklore or pop and jazz instruments or singing), conducting (classical or folklore choir and orchestra), Bulgarian folklore choreography, ballet art, graphics design and photography, scenography, church painting, costume and fashion, graphics, sculpture, multimedia and virtual reality, art management, etc.

Creative Development Program (програма „Творческо развитие“) of the National Culture Fund (Национален фонд „Култура“) has two modules: Long-Term and Short-Term Events.



This program is aimed at:

    • participation of Bulgarian artists, cultural figures and professionals in international, national and local training events and professional development activities;
    • ensuring scholarships for organisations that carry out training events and professional development activities (for Bulgarian participants only).

 

The priorities of the program are:

    • upgrading mastered practices and skills and high quality exchange;  
    • active participation in debates and new trends in the field of development of the candidates.

Target groups:

    • artists, cultural managers, critics who are in process of study;
    • realized artists, cultural managers and critics who are looking for opportunities to develop their skills.

Eligible projects:

    • projects for participation of Bulgarian authors in training events and professional development activities (seminar, workshop, planner, practice, studio, etc.) with duration of more and less than one month, respectively (long- and short-term);
    • projects ensuring scholarships for participation of Bulgarian artists in training events.

The maximum amount of long-term project funding is BGN 8000 (about EUR 4000), and for short-term project funding – BGN 4000 (about EUR 2000).

The program is annual and the total amount of funds available under this program per year is BGN 60 000 (about EUR 30 000) for the two modules.

Providing quality access to creative environments

The Ministry of Culture provides support for the development of creative skills and inclusion of young people in stage arts by means of the Program for Support of Creative Projects in the Field of Stage Arts (Правила за условията, реда и процедурите за провеждане на сесии за подпомагане на творчески проекти в областта на сценичните изкуства – 2020). In particular, this program focuses on the inclusion of young people and enhancing their interest in the theater, music and dancing arts and supports the new generation of authors who are directly engaged in creation and development of stage arts. The program supports festivals of stage arts. As a priority, the program considers youth festivals and active participation of young performers. 41 festivals and contests in the field of theater, music and dancing arts were supported in 2019 with funds in the amount of BGN 361 538 (about EUR 185 000). For example, some of the events funded under the program are Festival of Young People in Theater that promotes debutant artists, Small Season Festival that presents the achievements and supports the development of youth creativity in different fields of art.

In accordance with the 2019 Annual Report on Youth (Годишен доклад за младежта за 2019), for the purposes of developing the talent, creative skills and cultural expression of young people, the Ministry of Culture has implemented a Program of Measures for Protection of Children with Distinguished Talents from State, Municipal and Private Schools (Програма на мерките за закрила на деца с изявени дарби от държавни, общински и частни училища) aimed at children and young people at the age of 14 – 18 years. 1 024 young people in total have received scholarships and single financial grants by proposal of the Minister of Culture, the Minister of Education and Science and the Minister of Youth and Sports. The funds for the implementation of the program are provided by the national budget and are in the amount of BGN 1 800 000 (about EUR 900 000).

In 2019 the Ministry of Culture has granted 277 scholarships and 74 single financial grants to students from state and municipal schools.