A PRIMARY school headteacher from Bulgaria is studying for a Masters degree with the University of Worcester thanks to a city rotary club.

The Rotary Club of Worcester is sponsoring Maria Gaidarova, along with the university, to study at a distance.

Brian Clarke, chairman of the Rotary club’s international committee, said: “The sponsorship covers fees for the first year of a Masters degree in Education to help Ms Gaidarova to take forward her own continuing professional development.

This, in turn, will hopefully contribute to the development of her national educational context.”

Mr Clarke, a former education lecturer at the University of Worcester, instigated the sponsorship following a research project in Bulgaria.

“While I was in Sofia, I came up with the idea of a bursary scheme to allow mature and experienced educationalists from Bulgaria to come and study at the University of Worcester on a distance learning package,”

Mr Clarke said.

“I pursued the idea with the Rotary club and they were happy so I started raising money. I then approached the university’s vice-chancellor to ask if he would be willing to part-fund Maria, and I’m delighted to say he accepted. Without his support the initiative would not have been possible.”

The idea is to help build a partnership between Worcester and Maria’s school and to help Maria to progress and share good practice with her colleagues.”

Ms Gaidarova spent a week at the university as an introduction to the course and her tutors.

She will continue her studies back at home in Bulgaria until her next visit.

“I hope to share common goals between our systems and to share good practices,”

she said.

“I’m very happy that I have been given this opportunity to study at Worcester.”

Professor Chris Robertson, head of the university’s institute of education, said: “I hope this link with the University of Worcester will not only be a huge success for Maria, but that it will also lead to further partnership work with other schools and teachers in Bulgaria.

“The world is now a very small place and with e-mail and the internet we can maintain links with colleagues and students around the world.”