Parliament Adopts Higher Education Development Strategy for 2014-2020

Sofia, February 26 (BTA) - Parliament Thursday adopted a Higher
Education
Development Strategy for 2014-2020 by a vote of 123 in favour
and one abstention.

The strategy was introduced by the Council of Ministers, which
said the document met the need to formulate priorities and
urgent measures for fast modernization and internationalization
of Bulgarian higher education.

The document takes into account the problems and risks facing
the sector, and sets eight medium- and long-term objectives for
whose attainment 70 specific activities and measures are
planned. They turn the strategy into a tool for deep reforms in
higher education.

On a proposal by Milen Mihov (Patriotic Front), the strategy
states that the regulatory framework must be improved and that
an active policy is needed for attracting students from among
Bulgarians living elsewhere in the EU and the Bulgarian
community in third countries.

The parliamentary groups backed the strategy.

Snezhana Doukova (GERB) said that while her party backed the
document, it saw a problem with financing. It should come from
the national budget and EU funds, she said. The strategy is a
point of departure for a new Higher Education Act. Metodi
Andreev (GERB) said that the pattern should change - admission
should become easier, while graduation should become harder.
Also, the State should stop establishing new higher schools.

Svetla Buchvarova (BSP-Left Bulgaria) said that adopting the
strategy would be the first step to better quality higher
education and to financing it under EU programmes. "We back the
strategy as a document needed for the future development of
higher education," she said.

Stanislav Stanilov (Ataka) said that to be viable, a strategy
must guarantee an increase in financing in the future. He said
his party would back the strategy, although Ataka saw no point
in it as it was inconsistent with the current philosophy of
governance.

Vili Lilkov (Reformist Bloc) said it was unacceptable that sport
was left out of the strategy. He said, however, that the
document was good and his parliamentary group supported it.

Rossen Petrov (Bulgarian Democratic Centre) said his group would
back the document because the MPs "see this is the Parliament's
spirit". However, the strategy needs updating.

Dimiter Bairaktarov (Patriotic Front) said it would take more
than one strategy to address the administrative flaws of that
public sector. The brain drain is a problem, he said, adding
that even if his parliamentary group backed the strategy, it
would do so with reservations.