Universities seek sustainability in higher education policies and a common path with business

The forum "Higher Education – A Real Priority of Political and Public Life in Bulgaria" brought together representatives of the Ministry of Education, rectors from the Association of State Higher Education Institutions in the Republic of Bulgaria, trade unions, students, and the business community at the National Sports Academy. The Rector of the Technical University – Sofia, Prof. Dr. Georgi Venkov, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association, attended the meeting.

The Rector of the National Academy of Music, Prof. Krastimir Petkov, called for unity and dialogue within the system. "The word education unites all higher education institutions, and we must understand that division is not beneficial, but unity and continuity are what bring us prosperity," he said at the opening of the meeting.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Acad. Nikolai Vitanov, emphasized that in recent years the Ministry has supported the initiatives of the academic community and expressed hope that they will be continued by the next governing bodies.

Quality higher education can only be offered where there is scientific research, stated Prof. Georgi Valchev, Rector of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and Chairman of the Council of Active Higher Education Institutions in the Republic of Bulgaria. According to him, the system needs development and corrections, but a return to the principle of egalitarianism would be extremely negative for the entire system. He emphasized the need for sharing resources between universities, strengthening partnerships with the real business sector, and faster implementation of scientific research in the real economy.

Higher education does not seem to be a fully realistic priority for political and public life, said Assoc. Prof. Borislav Velikov, member of the National Council of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria. He presented data on the employment of higher education graduates. The data show that 95.4% of higher education graduates are employed, but only about 59.6% work in their field of specialization, which raises questions about the link between education and the labor market. The quality of higher education is not limited to the curriculum and formal requirements, but means strong teaching, relevant content, and suitability for the real labor market, noted Assoc. Prof. Velikov.

By 2030, the higher education system should be more financially sustainable, believes Prof. Liliana Vacheva, chair of the "Higher Education and Science" union at the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria.
The methodology for financing higher education institutions using the quality formula with increased coefficients for professional fields and the criteria set forth in Ordinance 328 is yielding results, she stated, adding that 14 higher education institutions have improved their results. The first group of high-income institutions now includes 10 universities, compared to only six in the previous year, she explained. Among them are the Technical University – Sofia, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Medical University – Sofia, Plovdiv University, and others.

Higher education is one of the most closely watched and highly valued public systems, commented Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valeri Apostolov, chairman of the "Higher Education" trade union at the "Podkrepa" Confederation of Trade Unions. Without adequate remuneration, rectors cannot attract young staff and retain them, he noted. There must also be predictability in public funding, Apostolov pointed out. 

During the discussion, Angel Stoykov, chairman of the National Representation of Student Councils, commented on the data that the merit-based scholarship lags 10 times behind the doctoral scholarship. According to him, this is not an incentive for students to strive for excellent grades and knowledge.