Supplementary Courses. While the educational authorities in Bulgaria have the ambition to give every child a full seven years' schooling, it is nevertheless impossible to achieve this standard in one bound. As has been stated above, every community with twenty children in the fourth division of the primary school is compelled to open a progymnasium, the others being allowed to offer supplementary courses to be given in out-ofschool hours. These courses begin on September 1, close on June 15, and try to cover in as complete a way as possible under the circumstances the progymnasium course. Attendance is compulsory for all who have finished the primary school who are still under fourteen years of age; and employers are compelled to allow the children to attend under a penalty of a fine of 100-200 leva per child. These courses were offered in six departments in 1920-1921 with an attendance of 2,377 pupils. In 1921-1922 eight departments offered such courses with an attendance of 4,681.

Private Schools. Bulgaria has within her boundaries a large number of people of other nationalities who are nevertheless subjects of the kingdom. The most important of these are the Turks, the Jews, and the Armenians. These peoples desire to have their own schools; and the government, while insisting on its right to control all education, permits them to open and conduct educational institutions of their own choice.

The restrictions are that in each school there must be taught the Bulgarian language, Bulgarian history and Bulgarian geography according to the government program of studies, by a teacher who is a Bulgarian subject and who meets all the requirements demanded of other Bulgarian teachers in the public schools. Schools which choose to follow all the government requirements are treated just as government schools, examinations being given in the school, successful graduates receiving all privileges, and even public support being given. Schools which follow only the minimum requirements have no privileges and their graduates receive standing only as they pass the official government examinations. During the year 1921-1922 the Turkish schools received government subventions to the amount of 600,000 leva; the Jewish schools 140,000 leva; the Armenian schools 50,000 leva; and all other private schools 60,000 leva.

The statistics for the private schools for 1921-1922 are as follows:

CHAPTER VI

SECONDARY EDUCATION

With few exceptions, all secondary schools of Bulgaria are public schools, being directly responsible to the Ministry of Education. For years the ideas of responsible educational officials were influenced by the prevailing European ideas of education, the four divisions of the primary school giving a simple education to the peasants and artisans, and the eight classes of the progymnasium and gymnasium preparing the children of the wealthier classes for professional life and government service. These original ideas were subjected to a gradual change; and with the Agrarian Party in control a fundamental reorganization was made. As we have seen the progymnasium was severed from the gymnasium and made an integral part of the primary education system, required of all the boys and girls in Bulgaria. In the same way, the old gymnasium was curtailed, and most of its formal work crowded into the two last years. To-day secondary education consists of a real school of three years, composed of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Classes, and the gymnasium of two years, with the Seventh and Eighth Classes. The real school gives a common course for all; only in the gymnasium is there differentiation and specialization. Entrance is upon the basis of competitive examinations. The tuition in the real school is 50 leva a year; in the gymnasium it is 500 leva.

The Ministry of Education has been frank in saying that the need of Bulgaria is less of the gymnasium and more of the special vocational school. As a result the number of pupils in the real schools and gymnasiums was 4,433 less in 1921-1922 than it was the year before, a reduction of approximately twelve percent.

Administration. The real school and gymnasium is administered by a director who is appointed by the Minister of Education, to whom he is responsible. The appointment may be made

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from the faculty of any secondary school or from directors elsewhere. There are eight chief inspectors of the Ministry who spend their time supervising their special subjects in these schools; and the director himself is compelled to visit every teacher at least four times a year. The teachers in the gymnasium must be graduates of the pedagogical faculty in the university, and they are closely watched. They prepare their lessons long in advance, and make a written report upon each recitation.

One interesting feature of the Bulgarian gymnasium is the care taken of the pupils. For each class, as it enters, there is appointed a headteacher. This teacher acts toward this particular class in much the same way that the principal and dean of women in an American high school act toward the whole school. The headteacher keeps the records, watches the work of the individual pupils, confers with the other teachers, supervises conduct in and out of school and acts in general as an educational guide.

The rules and regulations governing the real schools and gymnasiums fill quite a good sized book. An abbreviated translation of some of the more important parts follows.

RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOLS

The Director. Every middle school is administered by a director with the assistance of the teachers council. The rights and duties of the director are to represent the school in dealing with the government and the public, to act as president of the teachers council, to see that all school laws and regulations are obeyed. He determines the teaching load and distributes the work, helps new teachers with their work and advises them, visits each class teacher at least four times during the school year remaining the entire period in order to see the work of the class and the discipline. After these visits he speaks to the teacher privately and writes down his notes and impressions in a special supervision book which is signed by both the director and the teacher whose class has been visited. He calls frequent teachers' meetings, usually calling the teachers of one subject or subjects closely allied, and tells his impressions of the teaching by reference to his special supervision book, without, however, making mention of any names. With the assistance of the teachers council he organizes a parent-teachers association. In his conduct the director must be polite and sincere, avoiding anything which tends to lower the reputation of the teachers.

The director is appointed by the Minister of Education and he makes his reports to the Minister of Education.

The Teachers Council. All the teachers of the school, together with the director, constitute the teachers council, which has a regular session at least once a month. The function of the teachers council is to secure successful work and good conduct on the part of the pupils, to arrange for the library and reading room, to consider petitions of pupils for entrance, examination, etc., and to arrange for holidays.

The Headteacher. In order to secure better discipline the director appoints for each class a teacher as headteacher or class adviser. This teacher remains the headteacher of the class in question throughout its course; thus the headteacher of the first class this year will be headteacher of the second class next year, etc. The headteacher is supposed to take all measures for the physical, mental and moral welfare of his pupils; to keep in contact with the other teachers of the pupils, learning the strong and weak points of each pupil that he may better advise or warn him; to keep in contact with parents and guardians; to watch over the rooming places of students living away from home, paying special attention to moral and sanitary conditions. He must watch out for bad conduct in and out of school, and take strict measures to stop it.

The Teachers. According to the law the teaching load is from 18 to 24 periods a week. At the beginning of the school year the teacher presents to the director a plan of the lessons which he proposes to teach during the entire coming year; and he must conform to this plan. He must preserve good conduct. He must have no outside occupation which will interfere with his duties as a teacher. He must not preach partisan politics, nor talk against religion, morality or government. Every teacher is responsible for the conduct of his pupils in and out of class and in and out of school. The teacher must be polite to his pupils and use no words or expressions which will offend. Corporal punishment is strictly prohibited. Only text-books approved by the Minister of Education may be used. Each teacher must write in the record book a statement of what he has done in each lesson.

The School Physician. The school physician is the assistant to and adviser of the director in everything pertaining to the health of the pupils, school hygiene and the sanitary administration of the school. He is a member of the teachers council with all the rights and responsibilities of a teacher. He teaches hygiene with special attention to the evil effects of alcohol, tobacco and other bad habits. Twice a week he inspects all classrooms, windows, halls, stoves, toilets, etc., and he is empowered to give orders to remedy anything that is wrong. He gives medical aid to pupils. In case of infectious diseases or epidemics, he disinfects classrooms, and in case of danger he recommends to the teachers council that the school be closed for a period.

The School Term. The school term is from September 15 to July 12. Programs are made out at the beginning of school. No extra lessons are