Digital National Alliance - Bulgaria

The Digital National Alliance in Bulgaria aims to promote the inclusion of digital skills and technology. In relation to that the alliance has jumpstarted a project that awards a different school each year that uses innovative methods of instruction.

The idea of the project stresses on the importance of technology in children’s education and the award, presented by Gergana Passy, aims to inspire more schools to employ such methods and versify the approaches taken in education at a local and national level. 

Aims and objectives

The Digital School of the Year Award reflects the student’s competencies and the achievements of the educational institutions in the technological field. The digital skills which the awarded institutions more often utilize are project-based activities that allow for game-based learning and interactive instruction.  
As such, aiming to promote the development of learning and education in the country, for the last four years, the team of the Digital National Alliance (DNA) analyzes the results of all schools in Bulgaria for the academic year according to a rigorous criterion: 

•    Number of students ranked in the national round of the Information Technology Olympiad;
•    Number of students ranked for participation in the national round of the Informatics Olympiad;
•    High achievements of students at international events;
•    Average result for the school from the National External Assessment of Digital Competences.

Activities

The schools that have received the award in recent years are:

-    For the 2017-2018: MG (Mathematics High School) "Dr. Peter Beron", Varna (Bulgaria). 
-    Digital School of Bulgaria for 2019 - National High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics "Academician Lyubomir Chakalov", Sofia;
-    Digital School of Bulgaria for 2020 - Primary school "St. St. Cyril and Methodius”, Gotse Delchev;
-    Digital School of Bulgaria for 2021 – “Sava Dobroplodni” Secondary School, Shumen.

Why is this a good practice? 

In the promotion of digital skills and technology in children’s’ education there are many opportunities and no limits. This is the idea which the DNA awards aim to bring to schools across the country. The tradition of long-expressed encouragement and reward towards the school environments that promote a different approach to technology, a bettered and more improved one, will continue this year as well.