Over 70 participants from 4 continents at the international conference "Language Education & Personality Development" were welcomed by the National Center for Digital Technologies at TU - Sofia
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The Department of Foreign Language Education and Applied Linguistics (DFLEAL) at TU-Sofia hosted (27.06.2026) the international conference "Language Education & Personality Development", dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Prof. Georgi Lozanov, organized by OPTIMA – The Bulgarian Association for Quality Language Services, with co-organizers the private school "Artis" and the international association "Lozanov International Teacher Trainers Association" (LITTA). The conference was sponsored by the European Association for Quality Language Services "Eaquals".
The event was opened by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veselin Chantov, Chairman of OPTIMA, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivelin Peev, Director of DFLEAL, who welcomed participants and guests and wished them success and fruitful work in presenting their scientific research and in discussions. Plenary lectures were delivered by the Chairman of "Eaquals" - Tom Kidwell, UK, on the topic: "Humanising Quality Assurance in Language Education: The Eaquals Ethos", and Assoc. Prof. Galya Mateva, Honorary Chairman of OPTIMA, with the lecture "Blazing a Trail into the Future: Lozanov's Suggestopedia in Bulgaria (as witnessed and experienced)", and on behalf of the hosts, Assoc. Prof. Ivelin Peev delivered a presentation "Suggestopedia Approaches and Techniques as Part of the New Pedagogy Toolkit".
The forum brought together teachers and scholars, practitioners and researchers, from Bulgaria, Europe, Asia, and Australia, most of whom personally knew and worked with Dr. Lozanov. The world-renowned Bulgarian scientist, pedagogue, and creator of the method suggestopedia, dedicated his life and scientific activity to the study of the reserve capabilities of the human personality and created an innovative method for teaching foreign languages to children and adults, which is applied and continues to be used in Bulgaria and many other countries around the world. Suggestopedia aims to achieve accelerated foreign language learning in an atmosphere of creativity, joy, and personal development by revealing the reserves of the learners, proving that education can be simultaneously effective, inspiring, and humane.
All presentations maintained the listeners' interest throughout the day, with particular excitement generated by suggestopedic teachers and trainers who personally knew and worked with Prof. Lozanov, among them Franz Ludescher, Austria, University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg, Chairman of LITTA, Loni Gold, Canada, Christina Johnston, Sweden, Lisa Hartmark, Norway, Dr. Kazu Hagiwara, Australia, all of them members of LITTA, who engaged the audience and visually demonstrated suggestopedic teaching techniques. Evidence of the applicability of suggestopedia in today's educational environment was provided by the presented results of suggestopedic training practices and scientific developments by young teachers and researchers from Bulgaria, as well as the multinational effectiveness of the methodology, demonstrated by lectures from teachers from the USA, Russia, Greece, and Turkey.
The event also featured the English edition of the book, published by the Publishing House of TU – Sofia, authored by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Galya Mateva - "THE BULGARIAN FOREIGN LANGUAGE SUGGESTOPAEDIA", dedicated to the life and scientific work of Prof. Georgi Lozanov and to Bulgaria's contribution to the methodology of foreign language teaching at the global level.
