site.btaHigher Education Act Amended on Second Reading to Increase Salaries

Bulgaria's Parliament Wednesday amended the Higher Education Act on second reading to increase the salaries of academics and the grants of doctoral students. The amendments were proposed by the largest group, GERB-UDF.

Every year the Council of Ministers is to plan a transfer from the State budget so as to ensure an average gross salary for the academic staff of state-owned universities of no less than 180% of the country's average gross wage for the last 12 months. The cabinet will set the doctoral students' grants financed from the State budget at no less than 150% of the minimum wage for the last 12 months on which the National Statistical Institute has published official data.

Every year, at least 0.9% of GDP must be allocated for higher education.

Education and Science Minister Galin Tzokov said the linkage between the academics' salaries and the country's average wage ensured greater sustainability for quality teaching and research.

Venko Sabrutev MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) said the 2024 State Budget Act was adopted three months ago and while CC-DB are in favour of the salary increase, they are against unplanned pay rises.

Parliament gave the Council of Ministers a month after the adoption of the amendments to approve additional expenditures for 2024 on the budgets of the first-level spending units of state-owned higher education establishments and scientific organizations.