FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The World Bank
Europe and Central Asia Region

News Release No. 2000/044/ECA	Contact: Gina Ciagne (202) 458-4166
Email: Gciagne@worldbank.org
www.worldbank.org/developmentnews 	

WORLD BANK PROJECT SUPPORTS MODERNIZATION OF EDUCATION SYSTEM IN BULGARIA

	WASHINGTON, September 6, 2000The World Bank has approved a EURO15.30 million (US$14.39 million equivalent) loan for Bulgaria to help support the implementation of the Education Modernization Project.  The project seeks to benefit primary and secondary school students by improving the quality of teaching and enhancing learning opportunities.  For higher education students, quality of education will be improved and financial support provided to enhance access to universities. 

	The current loan is to support the first phase of the program to modernize the Bulgarian education system which aims to:  improve overall resource management in pre-university and higher education; design and pre-pilot of a new inspection system related to the implementation of a new curriculum; enhance the quality of teaching and learning in pre-university and higher education institutions; and continue to maintain high levels of access and equal opportunities in  higher education.  

	Phase I of the program is comprised of the following components:

•	Teaching and Learning in General Education.  To improve the quality of teaching and learning in general education, this component will support the introduction of a new standards-based curriculum, design and test a new inspection system related to the new curriculum and new student assessment and evaluation instruments on a pre-pilot basis; and reform the in-service training system for teachers, school directors, inspectors, and local education administrators.  Students will now have greater access to more pro-active, state-of-the-art teaching methods, which they can evaluate, thus giving them a greater stake in their education process.

•	Resource Management in General Education.  To improve overall resource management in general education, this component will support the following three sub-components:  extension of the Delegated Budget Program at the national level; strengthen the Ministry of Education and Science capacity to provide technical support to municipalities for optimizing the local school network; and establishment of a modern education management information system in the Ministry.  Schools will now have their own budgets and will be able to make decisions that will respond more closely to the needs of the individual communities. Parents in the local community will have a greater opportunity to be involved in their children’s education through interaction with the local school network.

•	Resource Allocation in Higher Education Institutions. To improve the efficiency and effectiveness in allocating resources in higher education institutions this component will support the reform of the allocation processes for resources and seats, and the establishment of a dedicated national higher education management information system.  This dedicated management information system will give the higher education systems a tool to make more informed decisions about where the gaps are within the system and how to fill them.

•	Establishment of Student Loan System and Reform of the Stipends System.  To retain accessibility to higher education institutions, the component will include the establishment of a student loan program and the reform of the existing system of stipends.  The student loan program would be designed to help higher education students pay tuition fees.  It would also include the redesign of the current stipend system to ensure that stipends and loans work in tandem to enhance access.  

•	Creation of Competitive Teaching and Management System and Strengthening of Higher Education Management Systems.  To improve the quality of teaching and learning in higher education, this component will finance the establishment of a Competitive Teaching and Management System for Higher Education to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Bulgarian higher education institutions as well as their internal management structures. Universities will now have access to resources, on a competitive basis, which will enable them to update their equipment and their management systems to keep them up-to-date with best practices in the area of higher education.

•	Strengthening of Ministry of Education and Science Capacity for Project Management.  This component will finance the establishment of a small project coordination unit to monitor and provide support within the Ministry of Education and Sciences during project implementation and a higher education steering committee to coordinate the implementation of the different higher education sub-components.  The project coordination unit will be responsible for financial management, project monitoring, procurement dissemination, communications and management training.

Further phases of the project are anticipated, which could be supported by further Bank and Government financing within the overall program. 

The total cost of the project is US$18.43 million including US$4.04 million from the Bulgarian government.  The loan will be repayable in 20 years, including a 5 year grace period, at the Bank's standard rate for LIBOR-based variable spread and single-currency loans in Euros.  Bulgaria joined the World Bank in 1990, since which time the World Bank commitments to the country total approximately US$1.45 billion for 24 projects.  

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