site.btaSofia University Rector Urges Colleagues from Bulgarian Universities to Strengthen Ties with Universities in Ukraine

Speaking at the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media on Friday, the Rector of the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, Prof. Georgi Valchev, urged his "colleagues from Bulgarian universities to strengthen our ties with the universities in Ukraine", describing it as "our duty". The Rector said that they should open their doors to Ukrainian students who want to receive quality higher education in Bulgaria and start a "much more active dialogue with the Education and Science Ministry so that this process can be supported through sustainable policies".

Prof. Valchev participated in the third and final panel of the meeting titled "Science and Universities as Appearing in Bulgarian Media". The discussion is taking place at the Izmail State University of Humanities.

The Sofia University Rector said that "these young people, with the education that our universities can provide, can contribute to the good spirit in this society, to its prosperity". "The war will come to an end eventually, and Ukraine must start developing and prospering in the years to come, and this is our duty as well,'' Prof. Valchev noted.

He said that Bulgarian education has been presented in an exaggeratedly unfavorable light, which, he added, does not correspond with reality. "I wish that in the coming years we could show the good examples of young minds who study at our universities and put in a lot of effort, achieve great success. We should not focus only on the problems," the Rector said.

In his words, there is a trend of downplaying Bulgarian higher education, which should be reversed with the help of the media.

He identified the coverage of scientific research as a major problem, adding that this is a global trend that does not have a positive impact on the development of science.

BTA is organizing the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Odesa, Bolhrad, and Izmail, Ukraine, from June 18 to June 21, 2024. The event is taking place with the support of Aurubis Bulgaria, A1 Bulgaria, Glavbolgarstroy Holding AD, Euroins Insurance Group, Postbank, SOF Connect, and the 13 Centuries of Bulgaria National Endowment Fund.