The students at the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts are now demanding the resignation not only of the rector Prof. Miroslav Dachev, but also of the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Georgi Valchev. A new protest is scheduled for October 20 at 6:00 PM, the protesters' initiative committee announced.
The dissatisfaction at the Academy has been going on for more than four months. The reason for the latest escalation is a meeting between the rector and protesting students after a meeting of the Academic Council on October 9. According to the students, Dachev denied that there were any violations at NATFA, despite the findings in the audit report of the Ministry of Education and Science.
The protesters claim that after the conversation, administration officials called them “Drishl“. They distributed video recordings of what happened and stated that the management continues to refuse to answer their questions.
What the MES audit found
The audit covers the period from January 1, 2023 to September 30, 2025. In a parliamentary response, Minister Valchev indicated that the inspection was carried out by the MES internal audit unit.
Among the findings is the lack of regulated rules for the work of the NATFA Board of Trustees. The report also states that there are no documents certifying meetings held and decisions taken by the council during the audited period. The auditors also noted shortcomings in internal control, individual payments, civil contracts and award procedures.
The report also indicates the payment of an additional monthly remuneration of 960 leva to the rector in connection with assigned functions for which there was no responsible vice-rector. The payment was terminated after the delivery of the preliminary audit report. The Ministry of Education and Science also reports that in some of the identified payments, the amounts were refunded even before the audit.
The ministry's conclusion states that the findings in the final report did not require referral to other competent authorities.
The dispute over the prosecutor's office and the State Financial Inspection Agency
It is precisely the refusal to refer the case to the prosecutor's office and the State Financial Inspection Agency that is among the main reasons why the students are also addressing their requests to the minister. The question was raised by MP Pavel Popov from “Democratic Bulgaria“.
In his response, Georgi Valchev stated: “If there was reason and sufficient occasion to think that the described violations were the subject of a prosecutorial inspection or a subsequent inspection by the Court of Auditors, this would have been carried out by the previous minister.“
Popov, for his part, insisted that some of the findings were serious enough to be forwarded to the competent authorities for subsequent inspection. Thus, the dispute remains over whether the violations described in the audit constitute grounds for actions outside the internal control system.
Students speak of political protection
The protesters see the minister's inaction as political protection over the rector and state that he bears political responsibility for the management of Prof. Dachev. They also question the role of the board of trustees, chaired by Prof. Lilyana Valcheva, leader of the union "Higher Education and Science" at the CITUB.
According to the students, Valcheva is a nomination of the minister and can be withdrawn, but this is not being done. They insist that the lack of minutes of the meetings and regulations for the board of trustees' activities be clarified, and that responsibility be taken by all institutions that were notified of the problems.
At the protest on October 20, the students will demand the resignations of both the rector Miroslav Dachev and the Minister of Education Georgi Valchev. Apart from this, they expect the management of NATFA and MES to provide answers to the audit findings and the actions taken after the publication of the report.
Sources: offnews.bg, bgonair.bg, opgbg.com