site.btaUPDATED Another BGN 40.7 Mln to Be Allocated for Higher Education - PM Glavchev

An agreement has been reached to allocate another BGN 40.7 million for higher education, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at a news briefing at the Council of Ministers following talks between Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova, Education Minister Galin Tzokov, and trade union representatives. Some BGN 26 million of those will be spent on increasing the wages of the administration, addressing wage disparities, and on scholarships, Petkova noted. In her words, BGN 5.8 million is earmarked for bridging the pay gap for some academic staff categories and BGN 7.5 million for scholarships.

This news comes after the Cabinet announced on Wednesday that it will provide BGN 39 million in additional funding to increase the salaries of academic staff in state-run higher education institutions as of January 1, 2024.

In a position released earlier on Friday, the Council of Rectors of higher educational establishments in Bulgaria said that higher educational establishments will be closed on May 20 because of protest action organized by the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour and the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria. The Council described the promised BGN 39 million and 12% increase in the salaries of the universities’ administrative structures as an insufficient first step in the right direction. The position further stated that higher education establishments demand not only higher wages but also compliance with the Higher Education Act. "This is not a protest about wages, but a protest against the undermining of the importance of education and science," the Council wrote.

Following Glavchev’s announcement of the additional funding, later in the day, Valeri Apostolov of the Higher Education Trade Union affiliated with the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour said that the protest scheduled for May 20 has been postponed because "the first step has been taken".

Commenting on the Council of Rectors’ position at the news briefing, Glavchev said that all their demands have been met so far.

Тrade union representatives stressed that academic institutions’ readiness to protest nevertheless remains until further funding is allocated under the Higher Education Act.