BNT 4 Channel to Feature More Coverage of Bulgarians Living Abroad

Nearly 40,000 Bulgarian children are studying at more than 400 Sunday schools abroad, spread across 43 countries on six continents. Teachers and headteachers from all of these Bulgarian schools overseas gathered in Sofia, where Bulgarian National Television (BNT) Director General Milena Milotinova presented plans for the development of BNT 4, with more airtime dedicated to the lives, challenges and achievements of Bulgarians living abroad.

Even more than 8,000 kilometres from their homeland, the St Sofia Bulgarian School in Chicago preserves Bulgarian traditions and fosters patriotism among its pupils. Over the past 50 years, hundreds of students have passed through its classrooms.

Daniela Mihaylova, Headteacher of St Sofia Bulgarian School, Chicago: "The children arrive in the morning and begin the day with the Bulgarian national anthem. That's how every school day starts at our Bulgarian school. They then have four lessons, depending on their age, including Bulgarian language, history and geography."

Afternoons are reserved for extracurricular activities.

Daniela Mihaylova, Headteacher of St Sofia Bulgarian School, Chicago: "They are all enthusiastic about Bulgarian folk dancing. They also take part in festivals organised throughout the city."

Bulgarian heritage is also being preserved at the Bulgarian Sunday School in Warsaw. The school recently marked the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising with a special historical re-enactment.

Simeonka Veleva, Teacher at Dora Gabe Bulgarian Sunday School, Warsaw: "We recreated a small part of the April Uprising, of course, through poems. Both younger and older pupils took part."

The Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad reports a growing number of Bulgarian schools overseas, as well as rising enrolment. However, funding and the need for additional teacher training remain key challenges.

Zornitsa Gogan, Chair of the Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad: "It is extremely important for us to discuss updating the funding allocated to Bulgarian schools abroad. We need this financial support in order to continue our work."

The Ministry of Education said the state currently provides more than €8 million in funding for Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad.

Prof. Dr Eng. Senya Terzieva-Zhelyazkova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science: "Our policy of supporting Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad will continue, and we hope the funding allocated to them will be increased next year."

Bulgarian National Television is also exploring new ways to support Bulgarians living abroad. Under the vision of Director General Milena Milotinova, BNT 4 is set to be reshaped, with significantly more coverage devoted to the lives, concerns and achievements of Bulgarian communities abroad.

Milena Milotinova, Director General of BNT: "This is another Bulgaria that deserves to be represented both on national television and on the channel through which BNT reaches Bulgarians beyond the country's borders. The people gathered in this hall, just like BNT, have a public mission. They do not simply teach at Sunday schools – they create a sense of belonging, they give Bulgarian children living abroad roots, and they build communities."

BNT’s leadership envisions this as a two-way process.

Milena Milotinova, Director General of BNT: "That is why we are open to their ideas, which we want to incorporate into the way BNT 4 will develop in the future."

The aim is for Bulgarians at home and abroad to know far more about one another.