site.btaContact Group Will Discuss Funding Across University Specialties

A contact group between the Education Ministry and the Council of Rectors will discuss changes to funding across various university specialties, said Education Minister Galin Tzokov. This transpired on Friday at the opening of a meeting of the heads of higher education institutions in Bulgaria in Varna.

"At the moment there is a huge imbalance in the funding of the different fields and it must be overcome, not by reducing the subsidies for the desired specialties, but by increasing the funds for the rest," said Tzokov. "At the moment, for the training of a future teacher, universities receive 2 times less money than the subsidy of a school student," the Minister said.

The meeting discussed the launch of a national programme to training of students from outside the EU, as well as the priorities concerning higher education institutions, as set out in the work of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth.

Bulgaria is also among the countries in Europe with a high proportion of international students. "Currently, the share of foreign students in Bulgaria is around 8%, which ranks us among the top in the region," Minister Tzokov said.

Minister Tzokov stressed that in recent years a number of positive changes have taken place in higher education and universities are constantly improving their quality.