Teachers' status and career in Bulgaria: Ordinance No. 15
Analysis of Ordinance No. 15/2019 on teachers' status and development: positions, qualification, career and appraisal, with the 2025-2026 changes.
Ordinance No. 15 of 2019 (Наредба № 15) is the state educational standard that determines who may hold a teaching position, how a teacher climbs the career ladder and how the work of more than 100,000 pedagogical specialists (педагогически специалисти) in the pre-school and school education system is appraised. For education lawyers, head teachers and school HR departments it is an everyday working tool, not a theoretical text.
The latest amendment and supplement was promulgated in the State Gazette (ДВ), issue 113 of 23 December 2025, and one of the key appraisal requirements remains postponed until 1 January 2027. This makes the ordinance more topical than ever, but also harder to navigate: it must be clear what is in force today and what is still to come. In this analysis we set out the structure of the current version, its link with the Pre-school and School Education Act (ЗПУО) and the latest changes from 2025-2026.
❓What does Ordinance No. 15 of the Ministry of Education and Science (МОН) regulate?
Source: Ordinance No. 15/2019, Art. 1(1)
The legal framework and the link with the ЗПУО
Ordinance No. 15 was issued by the Minister of Education and Science on the basis of the ЗПУО and is one of the state educational standards. This defines its function: it elaborates on the status and development of pedagogical specialists, without creating new substantive law outside the framework set by the Act. The very definition of who counts as a pedagogical specialist and what career development is can be found in the ЗПУО, and the ordinance puts it into operation.
Ordinance No. 15/2019
Art. 1(1)
Current version as of June 2026. Chronology: promulgated in State Gazette issue 61/2019; amended in issue 101/2020, issue 80/2021, issue 52/2022, issue 23/2024, issue 67 of 9 August 2024, issue 67 of 15 August 2025; last amended and supplemented in State Gazette issue 113 of 23 December 2025.
Official Bulgarian text
„С тази наредба се определя държавният образователен стандарт за статута и професионалното развитие на учителите, директорите и другите педагогически специалисти в системата на предучилищното и училищното образование.“
A practical consequence of this arrangement is that interpretation always starts from the ЗПУО and moves to the ordinance, not the other way round. Where the ordinance refers to a specific provision of the Act, that reference determines the scope of the rule.
Who the pedagogical specialists are
The circle of persons to whom the ordinance applies is determined by the ЗПУО. The definition of pedagogical specialists is in Art. 211 ЗПУО (Chapter Eleven, Section I), and not in the later provisions that are often cited by mistake. It is an exhaustive list that covers teachers, head teachers and deputy head teachers with a teaching load (норма на преподавателска работа), as well as a number of specialised positions.
Pre-school and School Education Act (ЗПУО)
Art. 211
Art. 211 ЗПУО (Chapter Eleven, Section I) defines pedagogical specialists. The reference in Art. 3(2) of Ordinance No. 15 to Art. 213(8) ЗПУО concerns only the exception for holding a teaching position without a qualification, not the general definition.
Official Bulgarian text
„Учителите, директорите, както и другите педагогически специалисти осъществяват функции по обучение, възпитание и социализация, както и подкрепа за личностно развитие на децата и учениците.“
Pedagogical specialists: typical categories under the ЗПУО
An indicative overview of the persons covered by the status under Ordinance No. 15. For a specific case, check the exhaustive text of Art. 211 ЗПУО.
Teachers (including senior and chief teachers)*
Head teachers and deputy head teachers with a teaching load*
Psychologists, educational counsellors and speech therapists
Resource teachers and teachers of children with special educational needs
Educators (възпитатели), accompanists, coaches and others on the Act's list
* Mandatory
The ordinance also regulates a specific case: a teaching position may be held by a person without higher education and without the professional qualification “teacher” in the cases under Art. 213(8) ЗПУО. In that case the school prepares and carries out a plan for acquiring pedagogical competences.
Ordinance No. 15/2019
Art. 3(2) and (3)
An exception to the general requirement under Art. 10. It refers directly to Art. 213(8) ЗПУО.
Official Bulgarian text
„Учителска длъжност може да се заема и от лице без висше образование и без професионална квалификация „учител” в случаите по чл. 213, ал. 8 от Закона за предучилищното и училищното образование, като училището изготвя и реализира план за придобиване на педагогически компетентности.“
Positions and functions: teacher, senior teacher, chief teacher
The hierarchy of teaching positions has three levels under Art. 2 of the ordinance: teacher (учител), senior teacher (старши учител) and chief teacher (главен учител). The functions are not separate from one another but cumulative: the senior teacher performs the functions of the teacher plus additional ones, and the chief teacher builds on top of those. This has direct significance when assigning duties and when assessing workload.
| Position | Basis | Functions | Requirements for holding the position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher | Art. 2, Art. 5 | Basic functions of teaching, upbringing and socialisation | Higher education and the qualification “teacher” (Art. 10, Annex No. 1) |
| Senior teacher | Art. 2, Art. 6 | The functions of a teacher (Art. 5) plus additional functions | Additional conditions under Art. 71: length of service, qualification, professional qualification degree (професионално-квалификационна степен, ПКС), appraisal score |
| Chief teacher | Art. 2, Art. 7 | The functions of a teacher plus additional functions at a higher level | The highest requirements for length of service, qualification and development |
Ordinance No. 15/2019
Art. 5, Art. 6 and Art. 7
The cumulative structure of the functions across the three position levels.
Official Bulgarian text
„Длъжността „учител” включва функции по обучение, възпитание и социализация (чл. 5). Длъжността „старши учител” освен функциите по чл. 5, ал. 1 включва и допълнителни функции (чл. 6). Длъжността „главен учител” освен функциите по чл. 5, ал. 1 включва допълнителни функции (чл. 7).“
For the basic position of “teacher” the requirement is clear and formal: completed higher education and an acquired professional qualification “teacher” in accordance with Annex No. 1 to the ordinance. The specialised positions (resource teacher, teacher of children with disabilities, educators) have their own profiles in Annexes No. 2-13.
Ordinance No. 15/2019
Art. 10
The general requirement for holding a teaching position, to which Art. 3(2) provides an exception.
Official Bulgarian text
„Длъжността „учител” се заема от лица, придобили висше образование и професионална квалификация „учител”, съгласно приложение № 1.“
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Raising qualification and professional qualification degrees (ПКС)
Section IV of the ordinance regulates the raising of the qualification of pedagogical specialists: the organisational forms, the credit system and the procedure for recognition. This is the area in which schools and the regional education directorates (регионални управления на образованието, РУО) most often make procedural mistakes, especially with the time limits for recognising a qualification acquired abroad or by informal means.
Recognition of a raised qualification: key steps
Taking part in an approved qualification form
The pedagogical specialist completes training under a programme entered in the information register of approved programmes.
Filing an application with the head of the РУО
The application is accompanied by the documents proving the training completed and the qualification credits acquired.
Recognition within 7 days
up to 7 daysThe head of the РУО recognises the raising of the qualification within 7 days of the application being filed (Art. 53(1)).
Accumulating towards the ПКС
The recognised credits are counted when applying for a professional qualification degree (Section V) and for career development.
Ordinance No. 15/2019
Art. 53(1)
Section IV (Art. 43-46 et seq.) regulates the forms of raising qualification; Art. 53 the procedure for recognition. Section V regulates the professional qualification degrees (ПКС) and the issuing of a certificate under Annex No. 17.
Official Bulgarian text
„Началникът на регионалното управление на образованието признава повишаването на квалификацията в срок до 7 дни от подаване на заявлението.“
Career development of pedagogical specialists
Career development is defined in Art. 227(1) ЗПУО as a process of improving competences through the successive holding of teaching or educator positions or through acquiring degrees. Ordinance No. 15 (Section VII) elaborates this through the requirements for holding the higher positions.
Pre-school and School Education Act (ЗПУО)
Art. 227(1)
The statutory basis of career development, which Section VII of Ordinance No. 15 puts into operation.
Official Bulgarian text
„Кариерното развитие е процес на усъвършенстване на компетентности при последователно заемане на учителски или възпитателски длъжности или при придобиване на степени с цел повишаване качеството и ефективността на образованието.“
The conditions for holding the position of “senior teacher” or “senior educator” are listed in Art. 71 of the ordinance. Here, though, there is a critical distinction between a provision that is in force and one whose application is postponed: the requirement for an appraisal score (Art. 71(1), item 4) is still not applied.
Requirements for “senior teacher” under Art. 71
A checklist for head teachers on career progression. Note: item 4 (appraisal score) is postponed until 1 January 2027.
Completed higher education and professional qualification*
Professional experience (length of service) acquired in a teaching position*
Qualification credits / professional qualification degree acquired*
A score from the latest appraisal of not less than “meets the requirements” (Art. 71(1), item 4)
Application is postponed until 1 January 2027 under § 7 of the amendment in State Gazette issue 67 of 15 August 2025.
* Mandatory
Ordinance No. 15/2019
Art. 71(1), item 4
Exactly this requirement (item 4) is the provision whose entry into force is postponed until 1 January 2027. Until that date career progression does not depend on an appraisal score.
Official Bulgarian text
„Длъжностите „старши учител” или „старши възпитател” се заемат от лица, които освен завършено висше образование и професионална квалификация имат оценка от последното атестиране не по-малко от „отговаря на изискванията”.“
Appraisal of pedagogical specialists
Appraisal (атестиране) is regulated in Section VIII of the ordinance and starts from Art. 77, not from the earlier provisions, which concern qualification credits. The principle is a periodic assessment of the work every 4 years by an appraisal committee under a predefined procedure and scale of scores.
Ordinance No. 15/2019
Art. 77
Art. 77(2) was amended by State Gazette issue 113 of 2025, in force from 23 December 2025. Appraisal is in Section VIII (Art. 77 et seq.), not in Section IV (qualification credits).
Official Bulgarian text
„Педагогическите специалисти се атестират на всеки 4 години. В периода юни - юли се провежда атестирането по ред, определен в наредбата.“
Provisions that are often confused
The appraisal score is recorded in the specialist's professional portfolio (Section VI) and, once the postponed provisions take effect, it will be a mandatory precondition for holding higher positions. Until then it has mainly a motivating and developmental character, without blocking career progression.
What changed in 2025-2026
Two amendments form the current framework. First, State Gazette issue 67 of 15 August 2025 again postpones the entry into force of the requirement for a minimum appraisal score as a precondition for career progression, this time until 1 January 2027. Second, State Gazette issue 113 of 23 December 2025 adopted the latest current version of the ordinance.
State Gazette No. 113/2025
The latest current version of Ordinance No. 15 (in force from 23 December 2025)
Source: lex.bg, ldoc/2137195301
1 January 2027
Postponed entry into force of the appraisal requirement for career progression
Source: State Gazette issue 67 of 15 August 2025, § 7
Ordinance amending Ordinance No. 15
§ 7 (State Gazette issue 67 of 15 August 2025)
The postponing provision affects Art. 71(1), item 4 and the corresponding items in Art. 72-74. The text of the ordinance is in force, but the application of the specific condition is suspended until the date stated.
Official Bulgarian text
„Разпоредбите относно изискването за оценка от последното атестиране като условие за заемане на по-високи длъжности не се прилагат до 1.01.2027 г.“
In force now versus still to come: a practical distinction
For practice this means a dual mode of work: applying the lighter conditions now and preparing in parallel for the stricter regime from 2027. Education lawyers and school management should follow the official consolidated text on lex.bg, since the ordinance is amended often and an older version must not be used as the current one.
How Pravko helps with Ordinance No. 15
Related analyses from our education law series: Ordinance No. 10 on the organisation of activities at school, Higher Education Act: legal analysis and the Vocational Education and Training Act. Official sources: Ordinance No. 15 (lex.bg) and ЗПУО (lex.bg).
⚠️ Important
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