February 18 – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
ENTER Study Days, “European education in transition: Digitalization, Internationalization and Innovation” will take place in Plovdiv, Bulgaria from 9 to 11 March 2026. The objective is to obtain a global vision of the work done and to plan the future activities of the Alliance.
Subject
In a rapidly changing world, teacher education in agricultural and environmental fields holds unique potential to shape a more sustainable and resilient future. As our world faces social, environmental, and digital transitions, there is an urgent need to reimagine how we prepare educators – not only with knowledge, but with the tools to inspire, engage, and reflect.
Today’s teacher training is called to respond to evolving learner needs. Programs play a key role to activate curiosity, foster critical thinking, and reflect European values such as inclusion, democracy, and sustainability. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is no longer a niche – it is a necessity. To meet this need, curricula need to become more flexible, personalized, and connected to real-world challenges.Digitalization opens new possibilities for engaging learners, while internationalization enriches perspectives and broadens horizons.
Designing attractive study programs means aligning educational content with purpose and relevance in order to motivate a new generation of teachers to start their careers in the field of agricultural and environmental education.The ENTER Study Days 2026 offer a shared space to explore how we can build teacher education programs that are not only academically sound, but socially meaningful: programs that empower educators to become change-agents in a world that urgently needs them.
Deadline is 28 February 2026
Programme
Day 1
9:00 – 9:30
Registration of participants and morning coffee
9:30 – 10:00
Opening and welcome speeches
- Assoc. Prof. Boryana Ivanova, Rector of the Agricultural University – Plovdiv
- Mr. Jan-Willem Noom- President of ENTER, AERES University of Applied Science (Wageningen)
- Ms. Ivana Radonova- (affiliation to be added)
10:00 – 12:10
Plenary session
- Integrating the green and sustainability aspects in the teaching programmes, Prof. Vladislav Popov, Agricultural University of Plovdiv
- Topic on digitalisation-keynote to be confirmed
- Flexibilization of teacher training curricula, Ms. Marjolein Wallenaar, Aeres University of Applied Sciences Wageningen, Netherlands
12:10 – 12:20
Group photo
12:20 – 13:20
Lunch
13:30 – 14:30
Transfer to VET School in Chirpan
14:30 – 16:30
Activities in the VET School (dialogues)
Visit to Chateau Trendafiloff and official dinner (to be confirmed)
19:00 – 20:00
Bus transport from Chirpan to Plovdiv
Day 2
9:00 – 9:30
Registration of participants and morning coffee
Challenge Labs (in parallel the whole day)
9:30 – 10:15
Current Sustainability Practices in Higher Education, Pilar Casado, University of Almeria
10:15 – 11:15
General Assembly ENTER
11:30 – 12:00
Painting with soil
12:00 – 13:00
Lunch
13:30 – 15:00
Round of workshop activities (in parallel)
- From Participation to Engagement: Activating Learners in Agricultural and Forestry Education, Karoline Meixner-Katzmann, University College of Agricultural and Environmental Education (HAUP), Austria
- Stress management, CZU, Prague
15:00 – 15:30
Field trip (transfer to Opora Zaden Dvor )
15:30 – 16:45
Get to know the host
16:45 – 17:15
Transport from Tsalapitsa to Plovdiv
17:15
Free time
Day 3
9:00 – 9:30
Registration of participants and morning coffee
9:30 – 11:00
Peer-coaching, Methods for collaborative learning (learning from each other), AERES, Wageningen
11:00 – 11:30
Overall summary and closure
11:30
City tour (optional)
