Official Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov will take part in the opening of a large-scale forum of the technological giant "Google" (Google) today from 9:30 a.m. at the "Millennium" hotel in Sofia. The vice president of Google DeepMind Slav Petrov is also arriving in our country to participate in it, the press center of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) announced, quoted by BTA.
Expected during the event from "Google" to announce a large-scale donation for scientific research in our country as part of their strategic partnership with the Bulgarian Institute for Computer Sciences, Artificial Intelligence and Technologies INSAIT, which is part of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".
This is the company's first such event in Bulgaria, dedicated to the latest trends in cloud technologies. Among the participants will be world experts, business leaders and innovators. The topic of the effective use of technologies based on artificial intelligence in education, the public sector and business will be discussed.
As BTA wrote, a pilot project between the Ministry of Education and Science and "Google" (Google), which will cover more than 200 Bulgarian schools. These educational institutions will be able to use the latest tools of the technological giant in the field of education, including those based on artificial intelligence. This was agreed in January of this year. at a meeting between the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov with the regional managers of "Google" for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The conversation took place within the framework of the world's largest exhibition in the field of education - BETT 2024, which took place in London. It was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Nataliya Miteva, and Prof. Nayden Shivarov, director of the National STEM Center, the press center of the Ministry of Education and Culture announced at the time.
During the meeting, the functionalities of some of the tools were presented. From "Google" explained that since 2015 they have been using artificial intelligence functionalities, which users often do not even suspect. However, new solutions are now being developed aimed at facilitating and supporting the daily work of teachers. The analysis shows that the tools they have provided to schools so far save teachers an average of ten hours a week, or more than one working day. With the functionalities that these 200 Bulgarian schools will have access to, the time saved will be even greater. "Many schools in Bulgaria have good experience working with these products, and that's why our country wants to support them and give them opportunities to use the latest solutions at a global level," emphasized Minister Tsokov at the time. It was agreed that the process could start as early as April, and their selection would depend on the activity of the schools. Minister Tsokov was also a guest at the Google headquarters. e in London, which is responsible for more than 50 countries in the world.
At the end of October last year, Minister Galin Tsokov said that Bulgaria is among the leading countries in Central and Eastern Europe in the use of the tools of "Google" (Google) in the field of higher education. Over 20 universities in our country use the company's technological solutions. This became known during the Google Workspace for Education seminar in higher schools, in which the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov also participated.
"In the coming months and years, higher education will be digitally transformed. Therefore, we must be aware of world trends and be able to use these trends to improve interaction with students and administrative service in our universities," said Minister Tsokov. He pointed out that many of the teachers in Bulgaria have practical experience with the use of "Google" tools, especially during the pandemic, when universities were closed and training was carried out online.