The Bulgarian Innovation Forum took place at Plovdiv University on April 15th 2025.
The main objectives of the Innovation Forum (IF) included discussing the CLEAR project’s main results, specifically drawing on the perspectives and personal experiences of participants from various backgrounds, such as young people, experts in the field of education, and representatives of local authorities and non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, the IF was intended to identify topics and problems young people are facing in the education sector and life transitions. Lastly, recommendations for educational, youth, and social policies should be formulated to achieve better learning outcomes.
21 participants attended the Innovation Forum, some of whom had already been involved in previous research stages of the project. The participants were from the following backgrounds: Ten young adults, seven experts working with young people, and four policymakers. The composition of attendees was therefore in line with the project’s objective to engage with a broad range of educational stakeholders. The participants were predominantly female, with only four men present. The age range was wide, from 18 to 66.
In the event’s opening session, the PU team briefly explained the IF agenda and introduced the project’s main results. After that, the participants were divided into three groups to participate in different workshops. The participants were divided randomly to ensure maximum diversity in terms of their background. The workshops took place in separate rooms.
Each workshop focused on key findings of different WPs. Before engaging with the project’s results, the workshop was introduced, and icebreaker activities were conducted to facilitate the discussion among the participants.
WP4 Workshop
The WP4 Workshop was centered around two quotes from the interviews conducted in WP4. These quotes illustrated the contradiction between the opinions of teachers and employers. While teaching personnel claimed that their students received the necessary skills to begin occupational training, the employer side often disagreed, stressing serious deficiencies in the training process. In the workshop’s second part, another quote was introduced, this time highlighting the problem of outdated curricula in some subjects and teachers’ deficits in up-to-date training knowledge. In the workshop’s final part, participants were asked to write down three topics that were neglected in the public debate and three policy/practical changes to improve the quality of education.
The problems mentioned included:
- a weak motivation of students to engage in education and learning, with too little attention given to the reasons for this behavior by the media and researchers
- inadequate teacher training, with teachers lacking the necessary knowledge and skills to teach
- the lack of ‘motivators’ in the education system, who can ‘ignite the spark’ in students to develop an interest in certain topics
The participants’ recommendations can be summarized as follows:
- There should be more emphasis and (legal) recognition of non-formal education in Bulgaria
- The triple/quadruple and five-fold spiral method should be applied in education, allowing for the inclusion of all stakeholders in the discussion of educational changes or the design of curricula
- More emphasis should be put on the acquisition of ‘soft skills’ by young people
- Teachers’ professional training should be improved, and selection criteria for hiring new teachers should be applied
WP5 Workshop
The discussion of this workshop focused on a quote from the interviews with young people, conducted in WP5, addressing necessary changes in the Bulgarian education system. The participants were then asked to reflect on what they would change about education to increase learning outcomes. The following proposals emerged during the discussion:
- The education system has to undergo a fundamental change to provide training opportunities for young people according to their specific skills and interests
- The participation of young people in extracurricular activities should be encouraged, allowing them more opportunities to experiment in finding the right future employment
- Communication between teachers and parents should be strengthened, so that parents get a comprehensive picture of their children’s skills, enabling them to provide more adequate and tailored support for young people in their educational choices and future career orientation
- Teachers should be more committed in their everyday work to encourage students to acquire additional knowledge beyond educational curricula; improvement of teaching staff’s training and more control of their skills acquisition in tertiary education institutions is necessary to ensure better quality of education
WP6 Workshop
In this workshop, the participants were asked to assess the plausibility and desirability of certain educational scenarios. The discussion, therefore, drew on results from an expert survey from WP6. The IF participants concluded that the standardization of LOs was a likely but undesirable scenario to occur in Bulgaria. Here, the participants’ opinion differed from those of the experts, with the former stressing the diversity of students with different family backgrounds and vulnerabilities. Another trend classified as negative was the division of students into the categories ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’, which, according to the participants, limits the potential of students regarding LOs, but also their personal development in general. Lastly, the participants advocated for giving less prominence to the concepts of ‘merit’ and ‘personal achievement’, but considered this development as unlikely to happen.
Conclusion
The IF concluded with a plenary session where the main highlights of the group discussions and final statements by the participants were shared.
In this last part of the IF, several problems of the Bulgarian education system, as well as ways to resolve them, were identified:
- The education system in the country suffers from insufficient flexibility and does not meet the individual needs of students. Ideas to address this problem include stimulating discussions with all stakeholders included, as well as decentralizing education, taking into account the specifics of different communities and students at local and regional level, and giving more freedom for teachers in the choice of teaching methods and pace
- Non-formal and experiential learning should be strengthened, as it is crucial for the acquisition of soft skills. Ideas included expanding the opportunities for student volunteering or the inclusion of practical and interdisciplinary subjects in secondary education
- The current form of assessment limits students’ potential, ignores individual context and social vulnerability, and does not adequately address the emotional and psychological needs of young people. It is therefore necessary to implement a more personalized approach, strengthen communication between parents and teachers, and expand the number of experts in schools who can provide adequate support to adolescents in dealing with emotional problems
- There is low motivation among the students, caused, e.g., by outdated teaching methods and distrust in the teaching staff’s competence. This problem could be met with better teacher training in the tertiary education system and the introduction of a transparent teacher selection system.
The participants also highlighted topics and problems that lack reliable information supported by research data. These included: pupil-parent-school relationships, effective models of career guidance, good practices for working with talented students as well as students with physical and mental health problems, student communities, their internal dynamics, and satisfaction with the learning process.
To summarize, the discussions showed a clear desire for change, both from young people and from professionals in the system. Education should not be just a transfer of knowledge, but a space for development, support, and discovery of potential. This requires political willingness, cross-sectoral cooperation and active participation of all stakeholders.