Author: Emilia Milcheva
A young man chose death a few months before his graduation ball. 18-year-old Bilgin Alishev from the village of Nova Mahala in the Batash region hanged himself on January 22, 2026, and his classmates from the "Kiril and Metodiy" high school protested with posters "You Didn't Hear Him in Time!" and "Bilgin Had Dreams". After the tragedy, the school has a new principal and a new English teacher. Due to reports of systematic harassment of the boy by a teacher, the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) ordered an inspection of the school. Retired Minister Krasimir Valchev announced the results in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
Mr. Valchev, what was the scope of the inspection at the school in Nova Mahala?
Krassimir Valchev: I want to emphasize: we cannot and do not interfere in the investigation, we do not check the connections that led to the tragic end. But in this situation, we were obliged to immediately start an inspection and check everything about which we received alarming signals - especially whether there was bullying at school, how the school reacted, whether the written rules were followed.
"The word "fear" has been heard many times
All internal procedures at the school have been checked and the most worrying finding is that bullying is confirmed. There was a personal conflict between the student and the teacher, which developed into several years of systematic harassment. It was expressed in attacks, personal insults, unfair evaluation, punitive tests, threats that the student would receive a poor annual term grade, that he would not be allowed to take the state maturity exam. The colleagues used the entire control toolkit, including anonymous surveys, they spoke to all the children. What is worrying is that the word "fear" was heard many times.
So, there were no signals?
Krassimir Valchev: There were no signals - written. There were verbal signals, information could have been extracted from the behavior of the two.
To whom were the verbal signals directed?
Krassimir Valchev: They claim that there was a verbal signal to the principal - something that we cannot prove. There was an open lesson in 2024, which was attended by an employee of the regional education department, and the student stated that he was the subject of bullying. However, he was not supported by his classmates. But we have the complicity of another teacher in the bullying. A commission was created absolutely illegally, which was supposedly to prevent bullying, but was used for punishment, to demonstrate power.
And what did the school psychologist do during this time?
Krassimir Valchev: The school psychologist is on a half-staff, he actually worked as a resource teacher for children with special educational needs. The school only formally had a psychologist. The child went to an outpatient psychologist at the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Pazardzhik, he had two sessions, the second one ended with a program for further interaction.
So the school was aware that Bilgin Alishev was visiting a psychologist?
Krassimir Valchev: Yes, they were aware. There was bullying that happened in front of many people, but not many people reacted - out of fear, indifference, lack of professional commitment.
Was there an element of homophobia in this bullying?
Krassimir Valchev: What the colleagues received as information is that there was a homophobic insult.
From the teacher to the student?
Krassimir Valchev: Yes, but this homophobic insult was more like one of many insults. And it is so popular in the Bulgarian language as an insult that it does not necessarily have to be used in a homophobic context. That is, we are not saying that the main reason for the bullying is homophobia. The main reason is the personal ego, unprofessionalism and lack of humanity in the teacher.
"Such teachers have no place in the education system"
All ethical principles have been violated, administrative procedures have been violated, for which disciplinary responsibility should be sought. The report recommends seeking such. In every case in which we have established a violation of the rules, I believe that we should be uncompromising.
Let's be honest, there is an element of mercy in the system.
Because of the shortage of teachers?
Krassimir Valchev: Rather, we are talking about some distortions that are in the small closed community, which have manifested themselves, purely human. Personal ego was the leading factor. My opinion is that this teacher and the other one who was complicit, her husband, who also had separate manifestations of harassment, have no place in the education system. I have always defended the system, but in order to have trust in it, it must condemn such actions and get rid of such teachers.
I have expressed my opinion to both the head of the regional administration and the school principal. They are the ones who should seek this disciplinary responsibility vertically.
Should they make the decision to dismiss the teachers?
Krassimir Valchev: Yes.