Representatives of the managements of the member organizations of the Association of Bulgarian Employers' Organizations - BICA, BIA, BCCI and CEIB - continue to discuss the priorities of the AOBE for 2023. At the meeting held with the Minister of Education and Science, constructive proposals were made by the employer’s organizations with the aim of improving the relationship between business and science and the educational system.
Vasil Todorov, General Secretary of the BCCI, highlighted some of AOBE main priorities for 2023, focusing on improving the adult education system in order to achieve synergy in the policies of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Another important direction for increasing the effectiveness of the interaction of enterprises with scientific organizations is promoting communication with centers of competence and centers of excellence and overcoming obstacles in their joint activity. It is necessary to create clear models of interaction between enterprises and scientific organizations regarding the regulation of the use of the results of joint research activities, in a way that does not hinder the possibility of the relevant enterprises using the created objects of industrial property in their activities.
Vasil Todorov pointed out the need to review and change PMS 61/2.04.2020, in the direction of expanding the scope of the subject of activity of commercial companies in which state higher education institutions can participate, as this is one of the tools for commercializing the results of joint activity.
Another important emphasis is the promotion, through various measures, of activities for the creation and development of cluster structures, which are forms of institutionalization of the joint initiatives of scientific organizations and enterprises with a clear focus on the creation and improvement of various products.
Vasil Velev, chairman of the BICA, highlighted several main proposals in the field of vocational education, namely the need to: (1) prepare a table of correspondence between the planned places for individual specialties in the educational system and the structure of employment and the future needs of the economy, which table should be used as a basis for preparing the admission plan in secondary and higher schools, (2) building a rating system for secondary education (similar to that for higher education), (3) analysis of the effectiveness and efficiency of expenditure the reduction of funds in the education system and a significant reduction and restructuring of the admissions plan for higher schools.
Vasil Velev emphasized the importance of the implementation of the program for financing the construction of STEM classrooms in secondary schools, in view of the future benefits for the development of the economy.
The chairman of BICA also argued the need for a change in the financing of the education system - as the principle money follows the pupil/student should be transformed into money follows quality education, which should be evaluated according to the implementation, through a rating system and the results of external evaluations.
During the meeting, specific proposals were made by Stanislav Popdonchev, vice-chairman of BSK, namely in the field of vocational education, with the emphasis being placed on: (1) limiting the creation of vocational classes in general education schools, if there is no explicitly proven need in the relevant local economy, (2) creating a sustainable system for early career counseling and guidance in secondary education, (3) the need to adapt curricula in accordance with the profiles and needs of local economies, (4 ) creation of a mechanism for tracking the realization of professional classes graduates in order to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the invested funds, (5) creation of an external system for the evaluation of the quality of vocational education, which includes feedback from employers and from young people who have realized themselves in the profession. Regarding the priorities in the field of higher education, Stanislav Popdonchev emphasized the usefulness of coordinating the curricula with the nationally representative employer organizations, and of changing the system of accreditation of higher schools by including internationally recognized experts in the assessment teams. Last but not least, the need to raise the requirements for occupying academic positions in higher education institutions was also noted.
Vesselin Todorov, member of the Board of CEIB, in his speech focused on the need to continue the "Business Teaches" program, with an emphasis on the IT sector. The need to change the admissions plan in higher education by increasing the quota of engineering majors at the expense of humanitarian majors was indicated.
In his capacity as a representative of a branch organization, Danko Kalapish - a member of the Control Commission of the Union of Leaders in the Public Education System in Bulgaria (SRSNPB), pointed out as the main problem for secondary education the lack of pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff, and one of the possible solutions is to communicate with the Bulgarian diasporas in Romania, Moldova and the Republic of North Macedonia to attract persons to be trained and fill the lack of staff in the education system. Danko Kalapish proposed to hold an information campaign in the direction of promoting dual training among employers.
During the meeting, after discussing specific benefits for the educational system and business, Minister Galin Tsokov and the employers' organizations agreed to resume the work of the advisory councils on professional and higher education.