Bulgarian Education Minister Expresses Interest in Israeli ‘Democratic Schools’

Jerusalem, 14 August, 2023 (TPS) -- SOFIA, 12.08.2023 (BTA)
The principles and practices of democratic education were the main topic of a meeting between Bulgarian Education and Science Minister Galin Tzokov and Yaacov Hecht, a teacher, pedagogue, globally recognized pioneer in the field of democratic education, the Ministry of Education and Science said.

Hecht established the first public democratic school in Israel more than 30 years ago and thus demonstrated in practice how educational innovation can be realized within the existing normative framework. He is currently supporting the efforts of the Israeli education system to adapt to the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence.

Tzokov presented the current reforms in the Bulgarian education system and expressed interest in a deeper study of the principles and practices of democratic schools worldwide as a source of ideas for solving the challenges of the 21st century.

Hecht pointed out that the principles and practices of democratic education can help the Bulgarian education system in its adaptation to the rapidly changing conditions of the modern world. He presented the experience of Israel and the Netherlands in building a new type of school “without walls” and with an emphasis on interaction between students, as well as opportunities for self-directed learning.

The Israeli specialist stressed the need to rethink the role of teachers in the conditions of implementation of artificial intelligence. He argued that the teacher of the future will be more of a mentor who encourages and develops the skills of dialogue, teamwork and experimentation among students. In this regard, teacher training programmes should also rethink their content and work methods.

A pilot university programme is currently underway in Israel, where the emphasis is on creating mixed groups of students that include current and future teachers, as well as professionals in the fields of organizational learning and development, and technology, the Education Ministry reported.

Democratic schools are self-governing communities in which teachers and students are equal and students themselves determine the goals of their learning and how to prepare for future professional development.