Doing homework or revising for school tests is not something many children enjoy, especially when they reach secondary school and the curriculum gets more and more difficult. That is when, for financial reasons or out of lack of motivation, many young people drop out of school.

According to National Statistical Institute data one in eight Bulgarians drop out of the system of education prematurely. Zoya, a young woman from Rousse decided she was just wasting her time at school and dropped out at the age of 16. She managed to begin work in her home town but found she was dogged by “bad luck”. The fact she did not have a secondary school diploma meant she was practically unable to find a permanent job. It took her a very long time to find out that the profession of seamstress has certain advantages in Rousse. In recent years the city has been developing as a centre of the clothing industry in Bulgaria. To apply for a job in the sector, Zoya needed a valid professional training certificate. The only way she could acquire the qualification required was to go back to school. So, the young woman applied for a correspondence course at the professional clothing secondary school in the town. There she met many women like herself who believed it was never too late to continue their education, as long as there was a suitable educational programmes for adults. Most of Zoya’s classmates were aged 25-30.

“The clothing school is the only school in Rousse and the region that has flexible educational arrangements – evening classes and correspondence courses. Every year around 100 young people master the tailoring profession and we offer very good modern facilities,” says the school’s headmistress Nedka Ivanova.

“The young people who graduate our school obtain a professional education certificate as well as a secondary education diploma. Sadly, the demographic decline has affected the sector. Ten years ago or so we had double the number of students we have now. The number of people who graduate is far below what the industry in Rousse and the region needs. We work very closely with employers’ organizations and the ready-to-wear professional union, so our graduates have absolutely no problem finding work. The problems are actually connected with labour migration,” says Nedka Ivanova.

There is a “school for adults” in Haskovo as well. The most popular subject there is “forestry and hunting”, which is open to people with a secondary education diploma who want to obtain an additional qualification document. According to the new regulations, without a certificate they cannot be employed in forestry or lumbering.

Though he is quite a lot older, Dimitar Danailov from the town of Mineralni Bani recently completed an 18-month training course at the Haskovo Secondary School of Forestry and Construction. For years Dimitar has been marking and clearing away trees in forests. The legal requirement for qualification in the sphere is what took Dimitar back to school.

“The knowledge acquired is something I apply every day in my work, this training helps me in everything. I have kept in contact with two of my teachers – forestry engineers, doyens for the whole region of Haskovo. When the need arises, they are always there, ready to help. Conditions in woodlands are severe, we have to cover large areas on foot. Motivation is very important - to want to work and advance in the profession. Otherwise the training programme is like going back to school. You have books, you have to read, study and then revise for the state examination. I found it a little easier because I had had years of practice, but it takes a lot of study as well. This is a diploma that is required if you want to work in forestry. It is an important job.”

English version: Milena Daynova