Penka Tsoneva

Professor Penka Tsoneva, Dr., is a full-time faculty member at the Faculty of Education, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", where she serves within the Department of History and Management of Education. She combines extensive teaching duties with active research leadership in the history and philosophy of Bulgarian education.

Research Interests

• Philosophy of education and its historical development
• History of school management and administration in Bulgaria (19th–20th centuries)
• Evolution of non-formal education, particularly through Bulgarian community centres (chitalishta)
• Interactions between the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and educational policy from 865 to 1989
• Intellectual and moral education of children during the socialist period

Her scholarly output spans from in-depth monographs to source anthologies, covering more than a millennium of Bulgarian educational history. A consistent thread is the interplay between formal schooling, non-formal adult education, and ecclesiastical influences, analysed through a rigorous historical lens.

Research Leadership & Grants

• Project Leader, "Community centers’ education in Bulgaria 1878–1944" (2016) – funded by the Scientific Research Fund of Sofia University
• Project Leader, "Community centers’ education in Bulgaria 1944–1989" (2017) – Sofia University
• Project Leader, "Education in children's organizations in Bulgaria (1944–1990)" (2019) – Sofia University
• Member, European project "Democratic School Governance for Inclusion: A Whole School Approach" (2016/2017)

Doctoral Supervision

Prof. Tsoneva currently supervises doctoral student Petya Ivanova, whose dissertation examines the pedagogical aspects of children’s organisations in Bulgaria between 1944 and 1990.

Languages & Contact

She is fluent in Bulgarian, German, Russian, and English. Office telephone: (+359 2) 9308 249; e-mail: p.tsoneva@fp.uni-sofia.bg.