ECNAIS Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria - April 2024
On April 17th to 19th we will have our ECNAIS Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, with the theme Building and maintaining identity in educational organizations in a rapidly changing World.
This Conference will be organized in cooperation with our Bulgarian member of ECNAIS, BAPS - Bulgarian Association of Private Schools.
We all live in a rapidly transforming post Covid world, a world with dynamic political and economic landscape where conflicts and uncertainty create a lot of tension. Living in times of digital, green and social transition, we might all feel confusion, lose focus and identity, while creating our new face, strategies, and values. This social landscape is both a challenge and an open opportunity for students, adults, organizations, and authorities at all levels of global, European, and national policy making and leadership.
Essential HOW TO questions are:
- Build Identity and Integrity in independent educational organizations (who are we, what distinguishes us, what are our strength, how we meet in our unique way the need of our students, parents, teachers, leaders; how we add value to the society and how the move forward together)
- Turn challenges into possibilities (what is the potential of the independent educational institutions to become a game-changers, riding the wave of the transitions)
- Inspire togetherness and motivation, involving all stake holders for obtaining qualityand vivid independent education, adequate for the upcoming years.
Student participation
Students are welcome to the Conference [1] We envisage a strong student contribution. Each country may bring up to 5 students and one accompanying teacher. Students will have the opportunity to take part in a specially organized discussion forum, expressing and role playing the views of different stakeholders in education. Students and their accompanying teachers will have the opportunity to meet at an online preparation meeting in second half of March.
Preliminary Program
18th April (Thursday) Morning session - Opening and keynote speakers Afternoon session – Two parallel conference panels (for students and for participants)
19th April (Friday) Morning session – School visits Afternoon session – Reflection and student presentations
A detailed Conference program will be available as soon as possible.
Registration and fees
The registration platform is open.
The registration fees are:
- Management Committee Members and Participants - 250€ Covers registration, conference facilities & conference materials, meals, drinks, administration costs (does not include accommodation)
- Participants from Bulgaria – 100€ Covers registration, conference facilities & conference materials, meals, drinks, administration costs (does not include accommodation)
- Students and Accompanying Teachers – 200€ Covers registration, conference facilities & conference materials, meals, drinks, administration costs (does not include accommodation)
- Accompanying Person – 100€ An accompanying person is someone who does not participate in the conference, but only does participate in dinners on Thursday and Friday (and if possible school visits). Participants that have a role as a personal translator might be registered as accompanying person.
Conference Venue
The Conference will take place in Metropolitan Hotel Sofia, a member of Radisson Individuals; 64, Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd., 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria (Radisson-Metropolitan-Sofia), on 17-19 April 2024.
[1] Unlike the 2023 Conference, we do not have financial support for student participation. A special fee will be established but all costs must be supported by the students/schools/parents.