Presentation by NEAA of results from the START project at an international conference in Izmir, Turkey

On the 21st and 22nd of May 2024, the city of Izmir, Turkey, a Multiclass project conference was held on the topic "Inclusive Education in Multicultural Classrooms", during which the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency presented the current results of the START project (Social Inclusion, Tolerance, Acceptance and Realization for all sTudents), a consortium between the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria, the NEAA, the Romanian Accreditation Agency (ARACIS) and the Council for Refugees and Migrants in Bulgaria.

The conference was hosted by Izmir Katip Çelebi University.

 The conference was opened by the rector of the university, Prof. Dr. Safet Kosse, after which the Multiclass project was presented by Dr. Emin Bakay, the project coordinator. Dr. Bakay presented the goals of the project, as well as the results achieved so far. Later, representatives of the consortium gave more detailed talks on the goals and achievements.

 The second part of the conference was held in two consecutive parallel sessions, divided into four panels per session. Each panel consisted of three to five presentations by researchers and educators from different countries on topics related to the project's theme.

 During the second parallel session, Prof. Siyka Chavdarova-Kostova and Junior Expert Dyani Kurulenko presented a talk on the topic of "Policies and practices for the inclusion of students from vulnerable groups in higher education in the context of a multicultural environment". The presentation was part of a panel entitled "Policy and Institutional Framework for Promoting Inclusion in Higher Education".

 The presentation was in two parts. The first part presented statistical data on the ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity of Bulgaria, as well as data on people with disabilities, migrants and refugees. The second part was related to the START project, presenting the project and its results achieved so far. During the post-presentation discussion, Prof. Chavdarova and junior expert Kurulenko presented additional details and observations from the conducted focus groups and university surveys.

A collection of abstracts from the reports presented during the conference will be published by Multiclass.

Images: NEAA