ational
budget, whereas schools that have only local significance are financed
by the people's councils at the local level. Since 1964 the expenses of
many vocational training schools have been financed by various related
ministries, factories, and enterprises. These organizations have played
an increasing role in the financing of the schools since that date.

The only available figures dealing with the financing of education are
those on higher education. As Bulgaria is considerably behind most
European countries in terms of the financing of education, there is very
little public discussion of the issue. Sofia, the capital city, has one
of the most severe financial problems. In 1966 only 3.2 percent of the
total city budget was spent on matters relating to education. Generally,
financial figures for education are categorized with those for science
and culture so that it is nearly impossible to separate those figures
that deal specifically with education. In recent years educational
reformers have requested greater sums for education than were allocated
in the past.

Bulgaria's budget for education fluctuated between 133 million leva in
1960 and 491 million leva in 1971. The proportion of the total budget
allocated for education, however, actually decreased over the last eight
years of the period. In 1960 education represented 5.9 percent of the
total budget; in 1964, 9 percent; in 1967, 8.4 percent; and in 1971,
only 8.3 percent. The percentage of the Bulgarian gross national product
(GNP) earmarked for education in 1972 was inferior to that of some other
European and Asian countries. The German Democratic Republic (East
Germany) spent 5.9 percent on education; the Soviet Union, 5.8 percent;
Japan, 5.3 percent; Poland, 4.8 percent; Great Britain, 4.3 percent;
France, 3.2 percent; and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany),
3 percent. Bulgaria allocated only 0.5 percent of its total GNP to the
field of education.

Preschool Education

Before the Communists took power in 1944 kindergartens were considered
to be an unimportant factor in education. In 1921 there were only
twenty-four kindergartens in the entire country.

The Communists made a real effort to establish a far-reaching network of
kindergartens, which in the late 1940s included three types: the half
day, all day, and seasonal. No tuition was required for the half day
kindergarten, and tuition varied--depending on the income of the
family--for th