Pavlikeni, BULGARIA – Bulgarian students are so badly behaved, some here say, that in addition to grades for academics, they should also have to earn a grade for manners and responsibility.
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Parents, teachers and even the students themselves are behind an initiative to grade pupils based on behavior – and issue a whopping fine for parents who don’t cooperate to help resolve issues.
The proposed fine – 500 BGN, or almost $300 – shocked parents. The amount is almost as much as the 551 BGN monthly minimum wage in Bulgaria, the poorest nation in the European Union, according to the EU website, Eurofound.
“Forget about the fine. My salary is less than 1,000 BGN,” said Temenuzhka Yordanova, a mother from Pavlikeni. “How is that supposed to work? I don’t dig up money, nor do I pick it from trees. This is completely absurd.”
The fine, as proposed, would be levied on parents who fail to appear when summoned by the school or who refuse to cooperate in resolving issues.
The proposal also includes a ban on the use of mobile phones during lessons and suggests a new approach to student punishments.
“Discipline and the ban on mobile phones are key factors in keeping students’ attention, and they would certainly enhance academic performance,” said Margarita Trifonova, a philosophy and history teacher at Bacho Kiro.
The Education Syndicate, which represents Bulgaria’s teachers and education workers, proposed the changes in mid-January in a report to the Bulgarian Parliament, the Ministry of Education and others. So far, lawmakers have not taken action.
Tanya Mihaylova, Bulgaria’s deputy minister of education, said she supports the plan, but said there hasn’t been any progress toward implementing it.
“I am a teacher, and I believe that it is very important to have rules in the classroom, and that these rules are followed by everyone, because that actually reflects a model of society. It is crucial for young people to understand that, in addition to having rights, they also have responsibilities — and rules usually follow fulfilled responsibilities,” Mihaylova said.
“The focus is precisely on the possibility of encouraging students who demonstrate a better social and emotional behavioral model, because it is important in a classroom — which functions as a team — that there are no individuals whose actions cause the entire class to suffer,” Mihaylova said.
Yordanova is opposed to the proposal, but others view the introduction of a “discipline” grade as an opportunity to improve the learning environment and reduce disruptive behavior.
“If stricter rules and sanctions are introduced, I believe our education system will improve significantly,” said Nikolay Mihaylov, an 11th grade student at Bacho Kiro secondary school.
“We won’t see such low results on national exams, and Bulgaria won’t be the country with the most illiterate students in Europe,” Mihaylov said.
Mihaylov said these changes will encourage responsibility in both parents and students and help prevent incidents of school violence and bullying, which frequently make headlines.
But Quentin Börger, a 10th-grade student who also attends Bacho Kiro, is skeptical.
“I doubt this will change anything,” said Börger. “For example, our physics teacher already tests misbehaving students, but they don’t care – they just say, ‘Oh well, whatever.’”
Punishing students with low grades won’t solve the problem, he said.
“Giving them a failing grade as a new punishment – one they can just anticipate and accept – won’t make a difference. I think the real problem is that students simply don’t care about school.”
But Trifonova thinks it would help.
“I think it would be good to have a discipline grade. This would make students more responsible, and especially if there were fines for parents, I believe the educational process would improve significantly,” Trifonova said.
According to the report submitted to the government by the Education Syndicate, teachers should have the right to address not only students but also their parents when school regulations are violated.
The lack of parental involvement often hinders the prevention of rule-breaking and aggressive behavior both inside and outside of school, the syndicate said. It proposed that schools should have the ability to impose clear and fair sanctions without excessive bureaucracy, allowing them to act more swiftly and effectively.
The Education Syndicate’s report also stated that despite teachers’ efforts, the education system is failing in its role of instilling discipline.
This has a long-term impact on the quality of education, the report contends, as many students fail to develop values such as civic responsibility, tolerance, and kindness. The absence of discipline in education leads to a situation where a significant portion of society disregards fundamental laws, expecting to avoid consequences for their actions.
Teachers now record students’ misbehavior on an app called Shkolo. They can keep track of lack of attention, missing homework, not bringing learning materials, disrespect and poor discipline.
Students – and their parents – also have access to the app and to the records kept on it by teachers.
When students accumulate more than five warnings, punishments are imposed, ranging from warnings to, in extreme cases, transfers to another school.
But Mihaylov, the student at Bacho Kiro, said punishments at his school are ineffective.
“Teachers cannot maintain control over their own classes and are often forced to make compromises,” Mihaylov said. “The widespread rudeness and perverted behavior of a few students are tolerated by both teachers and classmates. Seeing what’s happening, teachers choose to do nothing.”
For Mihaylov, the lack of effective punishments creates an atmosphere of chaos and disrespect in schools. He believes that stricter measures will discipline students and motivate teachers to take action.
“I support the proposed changes because fines, the ‘discipline’ grade, and stricter law enforcement will prevent the grotesque scenes we’ve seen on the news. I even believe the fine should be doubled. I firmly stand behind these reforms because I support improving the learning environment and students’ attitudes in Bulgarian schools,” Mihaylov said.
Regarding the proposed new measures, students have mixed opinions about the Education Syndicate’s changes. Some view the introduction of a “discipline” grade as an opportunity to improve the learning environment and reduce disruptive behavior.
“It’s a good idea to introduce this discipline grade; I support it, but there are pros and cons,” said Plamena Petkova, a 9th grade student at Bacho Kiro. “The advantage is that well-behaved students who work hard will have better academic results. Meanwhile, those with poor grades and bad behavior will see their GPA decline.”
Plamena said a discipline grade will encourage students to behave better. She argued that it will be more effective than the current warning system because as the semester progresses, students focus more on their grades. This, in turn, will motivate them to behave better and avoid misconduct.
“Behavioral warnings aren’t that effective because most students only care about their grades. That’s why discipline grades will be a much better way to keep them in check,” she added.
Yordanova, the mother from Pavlikeni, opposes the introduction of both the discipline grade and the fine.
“I don’t agree because this grade is pointless. It’s humiliating for the child’s academic record,” Yordanova said. “Every child makes mistakes.”
Yordanova said it is “normal” for students to get a warning or two for bad behavior or lack of attention.
“At 12-13 years old, they enter puberty, become more mischievous, more disobedient and wilder,” said Yordanova. “It’s normal for them not to be strictly disciplined all the time.”
Yordanova said students can’t be fully focused at all times, especially when they feel bias from teachers.
“Some teachers dislike certain students. One teacher likes me, another doesn’t,” said Yordanova. “That’s why I might not listen to one, but pay attention to another.”
Besides the financial burden of the proposed 500 BGN fine, Yordanova questioned whether parents can always respond to school summons, especially those working shifts.
As proposed, the fine would be levied on parents who didn’t come to school at a specified day and time to discuss the discipline problem with their child. It is unclear whether the parent would be able to re-schedule an appointment or make other arrangements if the school summons conflicted with work hours.
Trifonova, the teacher at Bacho Kiro, said parents should be given the opportunity to attend school at a time convenient for them if they have a valid reason for not being able to come when called.
“Perhaps a fine should only be imposed if a parent fails to respond to the school’s invitation more than three times,” Trifonova said.
The deputy minister of education said students should not “bring embarrassment” to their parents or their teachers.
“It is important for students to show, when they come to school, that they have been taught at home how to behave as part of a team,” said Mihaylova. “It is also very important to have a pleasant working atmosphere in the classroom — and that atmosphere is created, above all, by the class itself. It is essential that students respect one another, and when that happens, there will be much more time for discussing the various issues presented during the lesson.”
Trifonova also endorsed the suggestion of grading student behavior.
“I think it would be good to have a discipline grade. This would make students more responsible, and especially if there were fines for parents, I believe the educational process would improve significantly,” the teacher said.
She added that if there were truly serious sanctions for poor discipline, no one would even consider breaking the rules. As for her students, Trifonova said, she rarely faces any problems with their behavior.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve ever been unable to handle my students. There have been instances where the behavior of a particular student exceeded normal limits, but there are always ways to handle such situations,” Trifonova said. “It’s important to understand why the student is acting this way, what is triggering them and to show empathy.”
Kornelia Tomaszewicz is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
