With an official gala ceremony, the Higher School of Telecommunications and Post celebrated 145 years since its establishment in the “Maxima“ Aula. A special guest of the celebration was the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Iliana Yotova. The celebration was also honored by the Minister of Tourism Ilin Dimitrov, MEPs, the ambassadors of Austria, Turkey, Kazakhstan, China, representatives of the academic community, state institutions, partner organizations, teachers, students, graduates and guests of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Post.
"It is an emotional day for me, for the second time I have the opportunity as rector to celebrate a big anniversary - 140 years, and today with all of you we celebrate 145 years of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Post. It is also emotional because in a year I will pass the baton to the next rector, who will have the responsibility to build on everything we have achieved so far and continue to develop VUTP.
145 years are not only history, they are also memory, they are generations of teachers, students, efforts, labor, knowledge, united by one idea - the realization that knowledge, that education is the path to the prosperity of every society and every country. The path we have traveled from the distant 1881 to today is a long one. From the Decree of Prince Alexander I Battenberg to the modern campus that we opened just hours ago, we are separated not only by 145 years, but by memory". With these words, the rector of the University, Prof. Dr. Miglena Temelkova, opened the celebration.
"The challenge before us now is space technologies and I hope, thanks to the new campus, that we can fit into this global challenge, valid for the entire world. We have become a factor in the national and global educational space. But Bulgarian higher education does not need white swallows, it needs meaningful reforms that lead to the export of Bulgarian higher education abroad, reforms that stimulate universities to become competitive players in the global education market," commented Prof. Temelkova and added that it is time to turn education into an export product.
"Knowledge and science for the future are created at the Higher School of Telecommunications and Post. The teachers and students are our today's discoverers, the people who lead Bulgarian science. Here everything is turned towards the future – it is in the auditoriums. With these words, President Iliana Yotova welcomed those present.
The presence of representatives of Bulgarian institutions, of many authoritative personalities at the school's celebration Yotova described as a high recognition of its activities. She congratulated the management and teachers, and told the students that once they had chosen the Higher School of Telecommunications and Posts, they had already achieved success.
The Rector of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Posts, Prof. Dr. Miglena Temelkova, presented Iliana Yotova with a plaque “145 years of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Posts“ in recognition of her attitude towards Bulgarian education and as a friend of the VUTP.
In his welcome, the president highlighted the long history of the higher education institution, pointing out significant moments from Bulgarian and European history that occurred in the distant year 1881. In Bulgaria, the foundations of a number of state institutions were laid, and on a European scale, 1881 was designated as the Year of Modernity due to a number of innovations related to telephone connectivity and electricity.
„In the newly created Bulgarian state, Prince Alexander Battenberg applied this modernity by creating the State Telegraph and Postal School. These are politicians who can look ahead in time“, said Iliyana Yotova.
She described the museum at the VUTP as a time machine, where everyone can see the progress of technology.
The head of state awarded diplomas and medals to the excellent master's students, as well as diplomas for the scientific and educational degree “doctor“.