Education as an anti-crisis factor
A developed system of education integrates social structures such as, above all, family, school and church which function within the framework of ethnic and state unity.
Education is a powerful social stabilization factor. And education serves economic functions also. The economic situation in the educational system of the Republic can be characterized as crisis. Over the recent years budgetary allocations for education used for salaries have been growing at a high rate, while the remaining funds hardly cover the costs of utilities.
The difficult economic situation in education has another potential threat for the system. This concerns pedagogical staff. At present, the outflow of the teaching and research staff from the system has become clear. The best teachers are leaving. The tendency is about to turn into a mass movement and requires immediate solutions at the government level.
Education in the Republic should act as one of the conditions of bringing the country out of the economic crisis. There is no deep understanding of this notion in society in general because that the yield of education cannot be obtained at once and the practical result of its activity displays itself over a relatively long period of time.
Education cannot wait until society is mature enough to understand its significance and the need for priority development. It should act as initiator and driving force of changes and should offer to the state, public organizations, businesses and the private sector the leverage for their development through better trained specialists and retraining of the existing staff. In turn, the institutions should then become budgetary sponsors of the educational system. Without such interaction, both the economy and education will remain impoverished.
General secondary education
A secondary school system is well established: the constitutional provision on the availability of secondary education is fulfilled.
A matter of concern is the problem of pupils remaining for a second year in the same class of daytime general secondary schools because of inability to pass examinations. Many students leave day-time secondary schools. In addition, man}' students who remained in the same form for a second year did not resume studies in day-time school. Some students were expelled from school and did not receive secondary education. The problem seems very serious and requires a detailed analysis. It is evident, that one of the reasons for it is the content of school education.
However, the existing educational flows and the existing network of educational institutions as a whole satisfy the secondary education requirements.
At the same time, the proposed changes of the secondary education structure will require a certain adjustment in the distribution of basic school graduates into secondary education channels. It cannot be excluded that the inflow to form 11 will decrease, which will require an expansion of other secondary education flows. One resource in such a situation is the evening school which, over recent years has been a "safety net" for teenagers leaving the day-time school.
During the reform of the educational system we must specify and confirm the role and place of biased schools, schools with in-depth study of certain subjects, lyceums and gymnasiums in the general system of secondary education. Private, non-state forms of secondary education have not been developed, and are not expected to develop.
A balance will have to be sought however between the basic, compulsory curriculum; and a differentiated curriculum for children in Forms 10 and 11. This will be developed gradually through Forms 7 and 9. This will allow a balance to be kept between the compulsory part of the curriculum for all students, and adjustment of the curriculum, through its 'differentiated' components, to meet the wishes and needs of individual children.