site.btaParliamentary Education Committee Rejects 2024 State Budget Bill Provisions on Education on First Reading

The Parliamentary Education and Science Committee Wednesday voted, 4-8 with three abstentions, to reject on first reading the 2024 State Budget Bill provisions on education and science.

The appropriation for education in 2024 is BGN 8,571 million, Education and Science Minister Galin Tzokov said.

Diyan Stamatov, Chairman of the Union of Managers in the Public Education System, said funds were needed for inclusive education and upper secondary education.

Prof Lilyana Valcheva, Chair of the Higher Education and Science National Trade Union, said the draft legislation does not allocate funds for a comprehensive assessment of the quality of tertiary education.

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) President Julian Revalski said the minimum monthly salary at the BAS is BGN 1,600, compared to BGN 1,810 in the higher educational establishments. He said those salaries should become equal to eliminate large disparities.