Can Inclusive Education Last? Lessons from Bulgaria’s Ambitious EU-Funded School Projects

When Bulgaria set out to reform its education system over the past decade, the goal was ambitious: every child, regardless of background or ability, should learn and thrive in mainstream classrooms. Two large EU-funded projects, Bright Start and Success for You, are now the country's most important test of that promise. An interim evaluation by the OECD's Directorate for Education and Skills, carried out with Bulgaria's Ministry of Education and Science and the Executive Agency "Programme Education," takes stock of how these reforms are unfolding on the ground.

Launched under the Programme "Education" 2021–2027 and financed by the European Social Fund Plus, the two projects together represent one of the largest investments in inclusive education Bulgaria has ever made. Bright Start focuses on preschool children, while Success for You covers primary through upper secondary education. Unlike earlier programmes that targeted only specific "at-risk" groups, both initiatives are open to all kindergartens and schools and offer support to all learners, with extra help for those who need it most.

From Targeted Help to Support for Every Child

The shift toward a universal approach marks a major change in Bulgarian education policy. In the past, inclusion often meant specialised interventions for children with diagnosed needs. Bright Start and Success for You instead combine general support, such as remedial learning, language assistance, extracurricular activities, and career guidance, with tailored services for learners with special educational needs, chronic illnesses, learning gaps, or exceptional talents.

This matters in a country where inequalities remain stark. International assessments show that many Bulgarian students struggle with basic skills by adolescence, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Roma children, students in rural areas, and those whose first language is not Bulgarian face particularly high risks of falling behind or leaving school early. The projects are designed to respond to these realities by identifying learning needs earlier and offering sustained support across the education system.

Early Gains and Strong Participation

According to the OECD evaluation, implementation has been swift and wide-reaching. Large numbers of kindergartens and schools have joined the projects, and many learner-focused activities are already meeting or exceeding participation targets. Teachers, parents, and students report positive early effects, including better diagnosis of learning difficulties and more structured support through small-group teaching and enrichment activities.

Bright Start stands out for its focus on early language development, especially Bulgarian language support in preschool. This has helped children from marginalised communities enter school better prepared, easing transitions and reducing early learning gaps. Across both projects, EU funding has also enabled schools to hire psychologists, speech therapists, and educational mediators, roles that many institutions say would be impossible to sustain through national funding alone.

Where Inclusion Still Falls Short

Despite these strengths, the evaluation points to important gaps. One key issue is that schools receive limited practical guidance on how to implement inclusive activities well. While project teams are effective at administration and monitoring, they are not tasked with providing hands-on methodological support. As a result, some activities, such as intensive work with parents, support for gifted learners, or language assistance for non-Bulgarian speakers, are unevenly understood and applied.

Training for teachers and specialists is another weak spot. Although professional development is part of both projects, it accounts for only a small share of funding and often focuses on identifying student needs rather than adapting teaching practices. Most notably, school leaders are not explicitly targeted for training, even though international evidence shows that leadership is critical for building inclusive school cultures.

The Test of Long-Term Change

Challenges become more pronounced as students grow older. Under Success for You, general support declines in upper secondary education and often shifts toward exam preparation. This is precisely the stage when Bulgarian students are most likely to disengage or drop out, raising concerns that the projects may not yet be addressing inclusion where it is most urgently needed.

Sustainability is the final question. Bright Start and Success for You have clearly raised awareness of inclusive education and expanded support in the short term. But many gains, especially specialist staff and new forms of collaboration, depend heavily on EU funding. Without stronger leadership, better use of data for learning, and clearer guidance for schools, there is a risk that progress will fade once the projects end.

The OECD's message is cautiously hopeful. Bulgaria has shown that inclusive education can be delivered at scale. The next challenge is ensuring that inclusion becomes not just a funded project, but a lasting way of teaching, leading, and learning across the system.