The Regional Department of Education – Sofia-city (former Regional Inspectorate of Education – Sofia-city, renamed under the new Bulgarian Low of Education after 1st August, 2016) is a Delegated body of Public authority, representing the Ministry of Education and Science at the area of Sofia-city.
As a governmental representative on a regional level on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria the main responsibilities of the Department are to provide and ensure the implementation and to develop onward the national educational policies on regional level, to govern the educational institutions and system, as well as to organize, optimize and constantly improve the learning process of pupils, quality of education, and to ensure teacher qualifications in all school institutions of the region of Sofia-city and in accordance with the national curriculum plan.
Through implementing control over the regional education institutions, inspection of the learning process, ensuring the improvement of teacher professional development, providing qualification courses and metrological help in all subjects, academic and professional fields, the educational process level is the highest among the other regions in Bulgaria.
The school institutions in Sofia-city region are the most prosperous and preferred ones. Regarding the school professionals – headmasters, teachers, etc. the Regional Department of Education – Sofia-city has the responsibility to monitor, organize and manage school teacher qualification courses and personal teacher qualifications in order to improve teacher’s professional competences and skills.
As a responsible institution for the constant teacher qualifications and the
continuing professional development the Regional Department of Education – Sofia-city organizes, develops and provides courses in all educational subjects and cross-curricular relations, as well as organizes introduction and encouragement of use of Information and Communication Technologies in lesson classes.
Being a regional coordinator of the National Program “Introducing the Information and Communication Technologies at school” and through management of the program the regional Department of Education – Sofia-city brings innovative approaches in the learning process both for the students and for the teachers, especially encouraging teacher professional development by using the opportunities of the new technologies.
As the teachers are well qualified, The Regional Department of Education – Sofia-city constantly tries to improve and to provide good practices across the school network on a regional level.
As a leader among the other Regional Departments of Education – Sofia-city is trying to enhance the natural School Leaders through establishment of Teacher Leadership; Distributed Leadership for Equity and Learning; ensuring School Autonomy; School Accountability according the rules of the new Bulgarian Educational Law; and Promoting collaboration, etc.
Regional Department of Education – Sofia-city is responsible for the education, the quality of the educational process, its integration on national and European level, making the education standards in Bulgaria closer to the European education standards in the primary, secondary, high and vocational schools. Regional Department of Education – Sofia-city organizes and conducts a lot of national and regional competitions, exams, graduation exams and etc.
Regional Department of Education of Sofia-city is responsible for over 580 educational institutions, 19 000 school professionals (headmasters, teachers and etc.), over 130 000 learners and their parents in the Sofia-city region.