This school year there are 396 Bulgarian Sunday schools all over the world, I hope that next school year the Sunday school in Singapore will is the 400th. This is what the Acting Minister of Education and Science, Galin Tsokov, told the Bulgarian community in Singapore. He is part of the delegation led by President Rumen Radev, which is visiting Singapore.
The Bulgarian community presented the problems it faces, among them the lack of an embassy. Our fellow citizens also asked for information on how Bulgaria can help Bulgarian communities abroad and whether it is possible to receive financial support for opening a Bulgarian Sunday school in Singapore. According to unofficial information, there are about 400 Bulgarians in Singapore, our compatriots said during the meeting with the president.
„Singapore is in the PISA ranking, Bulgaria, unfortunately, is not so at the top, it has a stable position in the lower places, and therefore it is of great interest to us how the Singapore education system manages to achieve these results,”, commented the minister.
The fact that the issue of the Sunday school in Singapore is one of the most important for you shows your commitment to Bulgaria and Bulgarian things, noted Minister Tsokov. Therefore, you are required to register an organization with a cultural and educational purpose under Singaporean legislation and then you will be able to apply for a national program related to the Bulgarian language and culture abroad. The necessary number of children is ten in order to receive funding, explained Tsokov.
When you find a Sunday school in Singapore, your children will study in two education systems – the Singaporean and the Bulgarian, and this will give a very serious opportunity to influence and develop the Bulgarian education system, said Galin Tsokov.
The minister introduced our fellow citizens to other national programs that they can benefit from. There is an opportunity for even more sustainable funding, for which you must have 20 children registered in Sunday school. Free textbooks are also available, the minister said.
We have an idea to propose an agreement in the field of education and science to be concluded between Bulgaria and Singapore. We are planning in 2025. to organize a forum in Singapore and Bulgaria between universities from both countries, Tsokov also said, BTA reports.