About the BCES Conference

The Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES) is a traditional, scholarly, interdisciplinary, high-grade event. Specialists from all over the world every year come to the Conference as to present their studies. The Conference purposefully keeps a small size aiming at organizing the best quality selection of papers and providing excellent opportunities for presentations and discussions.

The goal of the XVIII BCES Conference in 2020 is to provide a platform for in-depth discussions on educational reforms worldwide. The Conference attracts case, international, and comparative studies on reforms in all levels of the educational systems – preschool, primary, lower and upper secondary, postsecondary, and higher education; and in all educational streams – general, vocational, and special education.  Participants are invited to present their theoretical, methodological or empirical studies on reforms of various educational aspects – aims, priorities, missions, governance, finance, structures, curricula, syllabi, textbooks, teaching and learning styles, innovations, examinations, graduation requirements, academic degrees, etc.

Participants may focus on past, present or future educational reforms.

The term “educational reform” is meant as a radical change in a national education system as a result of adoption of a new education act or an amendment (Popov, 2019, p. 244). But participants may also present any educational modifications, improvements and innovations.

People who the BCES Conference is for

Regarding the field of professional activities or research interests this Conference is mainly for people who work or are interested in the field of education. However, people from other fields such as psychology, sociology, philosophy, history, anthropology, media, literature, linguistics, politics, culture and civilization studies, law, economy, information technologies, etc. can also be interested in the Conference.

Regarding the occupation this Conference is for (without claiming a full listing):

• Policy makers;
• Academic staff;
• Researchers;
• PhD students;
• Master’s students;
• Experts at educational administrations;
• Experts at international organizations;
• Experts at NGOs;
• Education consultants;
• Education finance experts;
• School principals;
• Teachers;
• School counsellors;
• Psychologists;
• Media experts;
• Social workers;
• Special needs therapists;
• Education statistics specialists;
• Journalists;
• Publishers;
• IT specialists.

Benefits to BCES Conference participants

The Conference offers the following benefits to its participants:

1. Keeping friendly atmosphere, polite communication, and cosy environment.
2. Establishing contacts between people from different parts of the world, making friends, creating collegial networks.
3. Respecting all participants regardless of their race, nationality, personality, origin, sex, religion, occupation, education.
4. Providing excellent opportunities for oral presentations and discussions by giving a 30-minute time slot to each presentation.
5. Guaranteeing high quality of full papers published in the BCES Conference Book.
6. Publishing the BCES Conference Book in both printed and online form always before the Conference beginning.
7. Printing abstracts in the Conference Program.
8. Giving printed and laminated Certificates of Participation to all participants.
9. Furnishing each participant with a hard copy of the BCES Conference Book.
10. Allowing free access of accompanying persons to conference sessions and social events.
11. Organizing a visit to the National History Museum where Conference participants can see the seven-thousand-year cultural heritage of Bulgaria’s land.
12. Serving selected Bulgarian red and white wines to Conference participants.