The signed agreement with Ukraine will preserve the Bolgrad High School as a full-fledged one and will provide education in Bulgarian language, history and culture for students from 1 to 12 grades and even preschool education. He said this in “The Day Begins with Georgi Lyubenov“ the acting Minister of Education, Prof. Sergey Iganov.
„The visit to Kiev was timely and could not be postponed, because if we had not signed the protocol, there was a danger that the upper grades of this high school would be closed from September“, said Prof. Ignatov in the program „The Day Begins with Georgi Lyubenov“.
He recalled the importance of the school for the Bulgarian community in Ukraine.
„We have many compatriots in Odessa and there in Bolgrad the high school was established by Bulgarian patriotic Bulgarians. Many Bulgarian leaders, revolutionaries, intellectuals have graduated from it – the first rector of Sofia University, Prime Minister Alexander Malinov, etc. There was a danger that this high school would cease to be a high school.“
Prof. Ignatov specified that the protocol also introduces preschool education for the children of the Bulgarian diaspora, as well as training and qualification of teachers of Bulgarian language and history in Bulgaria:
„Our commitment to administration is the training of teachers of Bulgarian language and history, etc.“
In addition, our country will provide educational materials, textbooks, teaching aids. Also, the opportunity for students from the Bulgarian high school to come to language courses in Bulgaria.
„The best student, a graduate of this high school, to study at the expense of the Bulgarian state, to receive a Bulgarian bachelor's and master's degree here, in Bulgaria. And the winner of the All-Ukrainian Olympiad in Bulgarian language will also receive a bachelor's and master's degree in Bulgaria for free.“
Prof. Sergey Ignatov dismissed speculation that the visit to Kiev and the signed protocol would lead to the study of the Ukrainian language in Bulgaria or changes in history textbooks.
„There is speculation... Nothing has been signed on this topic.“