School in Dolni Balvan to close — 13 pupils to transfer to Tarinci from September
Thirteen first- to fifth-grade pupils from Dolni Balvan will be transferred to Tarinci from September after a municipal school optimisation.
The branch primary school in the village of Dolni Balvan will be closed and 13 pupils from first through fifth grade will, starting in September, continue their education at the neighbouring school in Tarinci.
Reactions and explanation
Parents said late this afternoon that they oppose the closure of their local school. Mayor Viktor Paunov argued the decision is driven by the poor condition of the Dolni Balvan building: it has not been renovated and therefore does not offer suitable conditions for normal lessons, while the school in Tarinci has a modern facility.
According to the Law, with the current number of pupils a combined class cannot be formed. The optimisation process includes three schools in the municipality.
Parents say that tomorrow the Municipal Council session will again vote on the closure of their school. Mayor Paunov denies those claims and says that during tomorrow’s session the Plan and Programme of work for the central school "Strasho Pindzhur" will be reviewed and adopted.
The move affects only the branch school in Dolni Balvan and, officials say, is part of a broader local reorganisation of classes and buildings.
Photo: press material from the event
