Strengthening the capacity of Bulgaria and Romania to design and deliver curriculum reforms and improve student learning outcomes

Strengthening the capacity of Bulgaria and Romania to design and deliver curriculum reforms and improve student learning outcomes

The European Commission, in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is supporting Bulgaria and Romania in strengthening their capacity to design and implement curriculum reforms. The project focuses on reviewing and developing resources to improve learning outcomes, with particular attention to low-performing students. Its multi-country nature is expected to foster synergies between the two education systems and create valuable opportunities for peer learning.

Context 

Over the past decade, EU education systems have reformed their curricula to meet 21st-century challenges (e.g. digital and green transitions) and address the 2018 Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. Many, including Bulgaria and Romania, have shifted from content-based to competence-based curricula. However, translating these curricula into changes in classroom practice—and thereby improving learning outcomes—remains a challenge. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reveals that both countries have the highest underachievement rates in the EU.

Through this project, Bulgaria and Romania will address these challenges—Bulgaria focusing on lower secondary education, and Romania spanning from pre-school to upper secondary education—thus complementing ongoing reforms funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

Support delivered 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, in collaboration with the European Commission, the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria, and the Ministry of Education and Research of Romania, will implement the 30-month project in two phases. 

The first phase involves a technical diagnosis of priority needs and recommendations for improving curriculum design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation in both countries. These recommendations will be based on a synthesis of evidence regarding effective teaching and learning practices.

The second phase will focus on capacity-building workshops aimed at developing tailored resources (policies, tools, and capabilities) to support curriculum reform in each country. These resources will be piloted on a small scale and assessed for potential large-scale roll-out.

Support will include a technical diagnosis report and recommendations specific to each country, along with examples of international good practice in curriculum design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. It will also include a peer learning seminar, capacity-building and stakeholder engagement activities, and a roadmap of policy actions for each country to advance curriculum reforms by 2030.

Expected results

The project’s expected outcome is to enhance Bulgarian and Romanian education authorities’ capacity to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate curriculum reforms, and to better understand effective teaching and learning practices. The project will leave education stakeholders with the skills, tools, and a roadmap to advance curricular reforms. The project’s intended impact is to improve the learning outcomes of students in lower secondary in Bulgaria and from pre-school education to upper secondary in Romania, as measured by changes in the share of students reaching basic proficiency and in learning gaps (between what students have learned and should have learned).