Education minister Prof Georgi Valchev says he expects a network of schools with advanced maths classes for pupils aged 10 to 14 in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. He was answering a parliamentary question from MP Krasimir Valchev of GERB-SDS, a former education minister.
The minister said the aim is for pupils to build their maths skills in their own school, without applying to a specialist maths high school. The model will grow, advanced classes will be much easier to get into, and families will need to pay for private extra lessons less often.
To get there, the government needs to take specific steps and change the rules and regulations, Georgi Valchev said. He said: "I believe we will bring this initiative to a successful end, especially with the involvement of Tanya Pancheva and Asen Alexandrov."
Krasimir Valchev asked whether the network will start in the 2027/2028 school year. He said no such network will be running at the start of this school year, because work on it began in 2025 but the caretaker government did not carry it on.
Right now only the maths high schools and a few other schools offer advanced maths for this age group, the MP said. In the three biggest cities, there are not enough places in these schools for everyone who wants to join in Year 5. Many pupils with a talent for maths miss out as a result. At the Sofia Mathematics High School, for example, more than 600 pupils apply each year for 200 places.
He said the number of young people with an interest and talent for advanced maths will show whether a country is developed or still developing.
In 2025, the ministry drew up a list of steps for more maths and better results. The network of schools in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna is one of them. At the end of 2025, the Ministry of Education and Science held a meeting organised by Asen Alexandrov, an adviser to the then minister Krasimir Valchev.
It discussed classes with advanced maths in 24 primary and secondary schools in Sofia. The meeting also set out the basic idea for the network. Those present included Krasimir Valchev, Dr Eleonora Lilova, head of the Sofia city regional education department, Sofia school heads, and Dr Tanya Pancheva, then head of the 55th Petko Karavelov School and now deputy education minister.