Waiver of fees for students and doctoral students is a state order and a national policy. We invest in Bulgaria’s children and we want them to stay here. This was stated by the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov before the BNR.
The measure will cover about 144 thousand students. The fees of these students are provided with BGN 150 million from the 2024 budget, he explained, specifying that half of the funds will cover the fees for the second semester of this academic year, and the other part of the amount will be directed to the fees for the first semester of the next academic year.
Within 1 month of the adoption of the law, universities will receive a transfer – the amount for half of the fees for this academic year. Within two months, if the bill is passed, the universities will return the fees to their students,” Prof. Tsokov explained in an interview for the “Nedelya 150” show.
He emphasized that the measure will not suddenly solve all the problems, but it will make it possible to expand the circle of children who can enter a state contract. According to him, this is a national measure that will lead to further development of higher education in Bulgaria. According to him, the introduction of the measure will even increase competition in terms of the places designated for state procurement.
“This measure, which is proposed for public discussion, is not a one-time act. This is a comprehensive government policy, I think it is a policy of the entire society in terms of having greater access to quality education for the children of Bulgaria,” explained Prof. Tsokov.
According to him, this will also enable children from families with a lower socio-economic status to continue their studies.
He reminded of the changes in the Constitution, according to which science, education and culture are national values. The society and the state must do everything possible to confirm and develop these national values, the minister stressed. According to him, this measure is an expression of national policy in terms of making higher education even more accessible to all those graduating from secondary education, as well as attracting children from the Bulgarian diaspora who study in Sunday schools.
Asked about the expected effect of dropping fees for some students, Prof. Tsokov gave an example of the measure regarding protected priority professional areas and specialties. According to him, the number of high school graduates has increased significantly over the past few years.
The minister also recalled the annual report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, for which Bulgaria is a candidate member. One of the bad indicators for us is that 17% of young people between the ages of 18 and 25 neither study, nor work, nor engage in activities related to non-formal education. According to him, we can hardly reach full membership if we do not have such proactive policies regarding education. The hope is that at least some of that 17% will apply on the basis that fees have been waived.
The average tuition fee for state-ordered students last year was BGN 1,050, noted Prof. Galin Tsokov, adding that for some families this is not a large amount, but for others it is not.
In 10 years, the percentage of children graduating from higher education who are insured in Bulgaria has increased by 12% – now it is 86%, the Minister of Education also pointed out. According to him, the completion of higher education in Bulgaria guarantees that these children will stay in the country and realize themselves in the labor market. According to data from the Rating System, the average income of graduates of higher education is BGN 2,200. And just 5-6 years ago, it was BGN 950.
Prof. Tsokov believes that money is no longer the main factor for our children to go abroad.
“We can keep them not only with contracts, but we can keep them with the overall development of our country, which is about people with higher education being able to get paid better.” NSI shows that people with a higher education receive 2 to 3 times higher wages than others,” he said.
Higher education is one of the few spheres in society that in recent years has received funding in terms of the quality of universities and training in them, commented the Minister of Education. A large percentage of what universities receive in per-student stipends is precisely related to quality, he pointed out, stressing that there is no other area of society that is funded in this way.
In the strategy for the development of higher education, the idea of the so-called shared resources ie. the possibility for universities to form a network, to develop joint training programs and to join consortia of European universities, where students studying in Bulgaria can obtain a diploma that is also issued by the various European universities included in these consortia. According to the minister, this will give our universities a competitive advantage.
For schools, the education minister said the first term ended normally. The decision for online education or flu vacation is made according to the situation in each region, he emphasized, but he assured that children will not fall behind in the curriculum anywhere. “This will not disrupt the structure of the studies and the start of the second term,” Prof. Tsokov is emphatic.
In one week, electronic notes increased by about 100,000, he said. The two discussed a new proposal with the Minister of Health in order to transfer this data related to student absences from the health insurance system to the education system as efficiently as possible. It is being discussed that this is not related to payment by the parents, the Minister of Education announced. He clarified that sensitive health information is not included in the electronic diaries.
He announced that work is currently underway to create a vision for a new type of curriculum that is competency-oriented and prepares students for life. By mid-February, we will have this document, which will then be discussed by the educational community, the minister pointed out. He hopes within a year – a year and a half he will be able to start this change.
For the upcoming rotation, Prof. Galin Tsokov stated that the positions are not the most important. We are working forward and whatever happens, he said.
dnes.bg
