Prominent physics teacher Teodosiy Teodosiev opens school for gifted children with help from Bulgarians abroad

published on 4/9/24 1:34 PM

Photo: Personal archive

One cause has united Bulgarians at home and abroad - to make Teodosiy Teodosiev's long-held dream come true. The "Golden Teacher of Bulgaria", as he is known at home, wants to create a training centre for his most gifted students in physics, mathematics and astronomy. He bought an old abandoned building near the village of Bazovets, close to the city of Tryavna. But his project was frozen due to a lack of funds for renovation. That is, until the association "Zavét", which unites Bulgarians living abroad, stepped in to help.

Teodosiy Teodosiev trains successful scientists

Last year, the association's members launched a campaign, not to raise money, but to provide materials to repair the old building. The initiative was widely supported by Bulgarians abroad. A whole 'brigade' of enthusiasts arrived from the UK, rolled up their sleeves and together began renovating the Physics and Mathematics School in the heart of the Balkans.

The building dates back to 1931. It was a school until over 40 years ago. There's no mobile phone coverage in the area, so the kids can concentrate on preparing for the Olympics and World Championships. "But since Teodosiy bought the place, years have passed and nobody has come to help," Fotina Valcheva of the Zavet association told BNR:

"The place is extremely beautiful, the night sky is simply indescribable! It is as if you could reach out and touch the stars. His idea is for the children to study physics until lunchtime, then learn about the herbs and different types of trees. In the evening they will have astronomy lessons".

The renovation started last summer. The materials were provided by Bulgarian companies who donated paint, tiles, wood, etc. For 7 days volunteers from home and abroad have been working wonders!

"A huge amount of work was done in the space of a week. They managed to replace all the electrical wiring in the school. They also installed new plumbing because there was none in the building. They repaired the stairs and so on. It was an amazing experience and the end result was well worth it. This year we will continue our work to get the school ready. The teacher has also bought a building that will be used as a dormitory for the children. They will stay there for one or two weeks in good conditions," says Fotina Valcheva.

The school before and after the renovation.

The future school for young talents will be completely free of charge. Theo's idea is to make sure that his work will continue even after he is no longer around. "I want this base to remain after I am gone, and my trainees to continue teaching the children there," says teacher Theo. And more:

"My idea is to have a school in the middle of the forest, where there is no luxury, but the building should be solid, like they used to build the monasteries. Tuition would be 'zero', so even the poorest families could send their child up into the mountains and they would get a world-class education in maths and physics.

The grounds were all overgrown with weeds and so on, but there were some people from the UK working there as builders, restoring old houses and castles. Last summer a brigade of volunteers arrived. I was expecting a group of 5-6 people, but there were 40! They set up a camp and brought the place to life. I am very grateful to these people. I hope that in a few years the school will be ready to receive students," Theodosiy Theodosiev concluded.

Financial support for the teacher's work can be sent to the Foundation of Teodosiy Theodosiev's Pupils - the "TEO" Foundation. All funds will be used for education.

Text by Veneta Nikolova based on stories by Dimitrina Nikolova from BNR-Stara Zagora and Daniela Goleminova from BNR-Horizon.

Photos: personal archive, BTA

Translated and published by Elizabeth Radkova

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Prominent physics teacher Teodosiy Teodosiev opens school for gifted children with help from Bulgarians abroad

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