The Dean of the Faculty of Law of Sofia University, Prof. Daniel Valchev, commented on the topic of attempts to create a parallel one to the existing Rectors' Council in the program "The Day Begins" on Bulgarian National Television. To the questions of journalists Hristina Hristova and Simeon Ivanov, he answered:
Prof. Valchev, who speaks on behalf of the rectors?
I don't know if there is a need for anyone to speak on behalf of the rectors, because higher education institutions in Bulgaria do not always have the same interests. In principle, they have an interest in developing higher education, but there are also very serious differences between them – between state and private universities, between large state universities, where sometimes science is done even at a world level, and between others, which, without underestimating them, are more like educational institutions, and so on. The rules by which the Council of Rectors was created are such that it resembles a bit like the Bulgarian Football Union. The Bulgarian Football Union has, if the fans forgive me if I'm wrong, about forty clubs. There, Levski and CSKA have one vote each, and not to offend any team, someone that no one has even heard of - he also has the right to one vote. Excuse me, but the smaller universities in Bulgaria have fewer students than my faculty. I don't think it's right for them to have the same weight in an organization as Sofia University, the UNWE, the Technical University in Sofia or the Medical Universities, etc. If there is any decency, of course, these universities should be given, albeit an informal small advantage. However, if this decency is lost and the smaller ones join together, so to speak, then there is nothing more natural than to split these councils.
Are there currently two of these councils, we don't understand? Has another competing one emerged that expresses a desire to represent the universities? Is there a schism, with apologies?
There will be no schism. This is an organization that is legally stable, it will not disappear, but it makes sense if it expresses the opinion of everyone. If it does not express the opinion of everyone, then some other forms will have to be sought.
Internal change in the structure, perhaps?
This is already a matter of taste. Whether there will be two, three, five councils, etc., there is nothing terrible in these things, believe me. Ultimately, the interests in society are different and therefore in a democratic society there are a variety of ways to express positions. Excuse me, but look at the scientometric data of the different universities in Bulgaria and you will see that there are differences from earth to heaven. There is no way that this thing, everything has the same interest. If we have 100 leva in the system, where do we give it - per number of students, for doing science or for infrastructure, on what principle do we distribute it? These are big questions that if they find a solution within this organization - well, if not - something else will be found. There is nothing terrible in this.