The beginning of the Bulgarian

education

The appearance of the Bulgarian schools is closely

connected with the great historic deed of the

Slavonic brothers Cyril and Methodius, the creators of

the Slavonic script.

The Old-Bulgarian author Chernorizetz Hrabar claimed that if in Byzantium the creators of the Greek script were familiar to only few men-of-letters, in Bulgaria even school children knew that their letters had been conceived by Constantine-Cyril, the Philosopher. Paradoxically, however, within a short period of time two alphabets - the Glagolitic and the Cyrillic - were created and, respectively,  replaced, and so far scholars are not unanimous in their opinion of which one of them was created by Constantine-Cyril.

The work of Cyril and Methodius and their students

was saved by Knjaz Boris and the Bulgarian people.

Boris I was a Bulgarian king who introduced Christianity

and imposed the Cyrillic alphabet in Bulgaria.

"The teacher's chair is the highest of the country and nobody can sit on it neither knjaz nor caesar“ - Knjaz Boris

Knjaz Boris gave a warm and hearty welcome to Climent, Naum and Angelarii in Pliska in

886.

Climent and Naum were helped by Knjaz Boris and Tsar Simeon and they set up literary

schools in Preslav and Ohrid. It is considered to be the first formal schools.

Naum was the organizer of the Preslav

literary school.

Climent was the founder and leader of

the Ohrid literary school.

An unprecedented flowering of the literature

and culture happened during the rule of tsar

Simeon. This period was called

"THE GOLDEN AGE“

and it was the first one.

The Bulgarian King Simeon The Great (893-927) welcomed the disciples of the "Apostles of the Slavs," St. Cyril and Methodius and furthered their effort. A court school was established in the Bulgarian capital of Preslav. Bulgaria

became the "cradle of Slavic civilization", where an estimated 3,500 priest-teachers were trained, large-scale translation of

service books was carried out, and original works of theology, philosophy, literature, and art were created.

Monastery schools

Monastery schools were the first form of education in Bulgaria. They

are with religious character. This type of schools began its

development from the monasteries, churches and

cloisters.

 Teachers in the monastery schools were mostly monks and priests, less educated artisans and

merchants. The number of students did not exceed 10-20 children. The training consisted in acquiring basic skills in writing, reading and arithmetic, and

teaching was conducted in Church- Slavonic or Greek.

A new period of the development of the Bulgarian education started during the

Bulgarian Revival. It was the time when the education was worth as much as a treasure for

the family. A lot of secular schools were opened during that time. They were supported

by Bulgarians.

The national revival was stirred by a "Slav-Bulgarian History," a

book written in 1762 by the monk Paisii from the Hilendar

Monastery in Mount Athos. It revived the memory of past glory and had enormous impact on the nation. Other books followed and

generated a popular movement for secular education, which was

at the mainstream of the Bulgarian national renaissance.

Hellenic-Bulgarian schools

Еlin-Bulgarian schools appear at the beginning of the XIX century by nature they are

secular. They taught mathematics, philosophy,

history, natural history. The basic training is conducted in

Greek, but unlike a purely Greek schools is included and

the study of Bulgarian. It is believed that the first Hellenic-Bulgarian school was opened

in Svishtov in 1815.

Outstanding role played for the opening of those schools-the printed in 1824 "Primer with

different teachings, " written by PetarBeron."Fish Primer" was written in pure Bulgarian and

served to Bulgarian children as a textbook in history, geography,

physics from zoology. In its forward, the author gave

valuable pedagogical advice to teachers and

promoted the concepts of secular education.

Mutual and classrooms schools

Ten years after Petar Beron printed its primer, on the initiative of the rich and patriotic merchants in Gabrovo was

established the first mutual school. The idea of opening a school in the city comes from the great Maecenas of

Bulgarian education Vasil Aprilov. Mutual school is secular elementary school during the Bulgarian Renaissance, which used Bell-Lancaster method of training. Under this method,

some of the more advanced students learn some of their classmates.

The mutual school for girls – Pleven 1840

In 1840 in her native city of Pleven Anastasiya Dimitrova opened the first school for girls. Graduated girls became teachers or

they opened new mutual schools in other towns in Bulgaria

First class school In the Class School for the

first time in Bulgarian education students were

divided into classes. Daskalolivnitsata is the first Bulgarian secondary school, founded by Ivan Momchilov in 1843 in Elena. In fact class

schools prepare future teachers and the new

generation Renaissance intellectuals.

Professional schools

Professional education institutions (universities) are the highest level in the Bulgarian educational system. In them

Bulgarian society is rediscovering educational word with renewed vigor. For the first time the Bulgarians were able to

get an education in that level only in 1904. Among the figures of the

Renaissance, many of whom have been educated abroad, brewing idea of opening

a university that would "equalize the Bulgarians with independent political, civic

and cultural camps erected nations".

The first University in BulgariaThe first University in Bulgaria is the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski ". It was created by a decision of the National Assembly on October 1, 1888 as the Higher Educational Course for First Secondary School for Boys. After several months it was renamed the Academy and from 1904 - at a university. Its first rector was the famous Bulgarian linguist Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan.

11 October 2011Turkey