Teacher-student interaction is in focus during the seventh International "Erasmus+" week, organized by the "Sts. Cyril and Methodius" University of Veliko Tarnovo in support of Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad.

The university in the city is proud of its innovative work in terms of educational and methodological activities, aimed specifically at Bulgarian educational institutions abroad. Its partners are nearly 40 representatives of Bulgarian Sunday schools around the world and this year 35 teachers and principals from 11 countries - Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Albania and the United Arab Emirates, have confirmed their participation.

The forum begins today in the university and the program continues until July 4 with a series of meetings and exchange of good practices between all participants. An online meeting between Erasmus+ students, principals and teachers from Bulgarian schools abroad is also organised.

Handing out books and teaching aids through the charity campaign "Cause Bulgaria" - a voluntary program of the University of Veliko Tarnovo, in which everyone can participate with personal funds and donations, has also turned into a tradition.

"Cause Bulgaria" is also the motto of a feature-length film shot in Rome, which presents the thrills and excitements of the students from the "Assen and Iliya Peykovi" Sunday school in the Italian capital. The film presents the children's love for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian language. Some of them have never been in Bulgaria, but feel it as their homeland and even dream of living here one day. The author of the film, Emil Matov, shares that little is known in this country about the life and excitements of Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad. This once again reinforces the role and importance of the international meetings organized by the university, related to its national program "Development and Promotion of Bulgarian Studies Abroad".

The meetings between teachers in Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, who pay visit to Veliko Tarnovo, are also important. They usually answer questions related to the regulatory framework, the shortage of teaching materials and other unresolved problems, says Prof. Marianna Mandeva, lecturer and coordinator of students, interns and PhD students in “Erasmus +” traineeships at the university:

"There are some gaps in the regulatory framework that are being worked on. The schools most often tell me about the shortage of certain specialists. There is a lack of trained teachers, especially in the fields of history, geography, Bulgarian language. And the broader picture of the problems will be seen during the discussions from July 2 to 4 at the University of Veliko Tarnovo."

Author: Gergana Mancheva

Publication in English: Alexander Markov

Photos: Facebook/ UVT "Sts. Cyril and Methodius", Facebook/ Marianna Mandeva, Facebook/Veneta Nenkova