News

13 August 2026

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva met with the leadership of the Sofia Student Council (SSC), with both sides agreeing on the need for more active participation by young people in public life and for the creation of effective mechanisms through which students’ voices can be heard and reach the institutions.

During the meeting, topics were discussed relating to the legitimisation and development of pupil self-governance, the introduction of a compulsory subject entitled ‘Virtues and Religions’ through amendments to the Pre-school and School Education Act, restrictions on access to social media for children under the age of 16, and the use of mobile phones at school.

With regard to social media, the participants at the meeting agreed that outright bans are not an effective enough measure. In their view, clear rules and stricter controls are needed, including with regard to the creation of profiles, but also the consistent development of civic awareness and digital literacy among children and young people.

“My view is that every member of society has an educational role,” said Velislava Delcheva.

She emphasised that when seeking solutions to protect children in the digital environment, we should not only focus on restrictions, but should also consider how young people could be equipped to protect themselves.

During the meeting, the Ombudsman also put forward the idea of young people becoming ‘Ombudsman ambassadors’. The initiative aims to establish a sustainable channel of communication between the institution and young people, through which they can more actively raise the issues that concern them, become aware of their rights and responsibilities, and participate in public life.

“Young people need to be aware of both their rights and their responsibilities. The Ombudsman can act as a voice for young people,” said Delcheva.

In this regard, the Ombudsman and the Sofia Student Council discussed opportunities for partnership on the topics of student self-governance, children’s rights and civic participation. The aim is for young people not merely to be the recipients of policies and decisions, but to be active participants in shaping them.

Particular attention was paid to the need for the student self-governance to be a genuine and effective mechanism for representing students. According to representatives of the SSC, there is currently no sufficiently effective mechanism through which institutions can seek students’ views.

“Our struggle is to ensure that the student self-governance serves as an effective mechanism for consulting students, because at present there is no such mechanism,” said Damyan Budinov, chair of the Sofia Student Council.

He put forward specific proposals for changes to the regulatory framework to ensure clearer regulation of student governance — namely, to introduce a definition of the term ‘student self-governance’ and to establish a comprehensive system for student representation at various levels. According to the SSC, a single table in the annex to Ordinance No. 13 is insufficient; a separate regulatory framework is required to set out in detail the structure, functions and interaction between student councils.

The proposed model provides for the establishment of student councils at school level, which are to be democratically elected and have clearly defined functions and a chairperson. Representatives of the school councils should be able to participate in regional student bodies, which would represent the views of students from the relevant region, whilst at national level there should be a body that unites the voice of young people and represents it before state institutions.

According to those attending the meeting, it is important that the student governance is not merely a structure that exists in name only, but that it has real powers, clear functions and the ability to influence school life. It is also essential that students understand what they gain from their participation in the student council and how their voice leads to concrete results.

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva expressed the Institution’s willingness to continue the dialogue with the Sofia Student Council and to work together with young people on issues that directly affect them. The future partnership will be based on efforts to raise awareness of students' rights and responsibilities, to encourage their civic participation and to establish effective mechanisms through which their views can be heard.