Will there be a second term for the Romanian high school? This is the question that concerns more and more students and parents from the Profiled High School with intensive study of the Romanian language "Mihai Eminescu" (PGIIRE).
At the moment, the 29th SU "Kuzman Shapkarev" and Profiled high school with intensive study of the Romanian language "Mihai Eminescu" unite a building. And this is because in February 2015, the Metropolitan Municipal Council decided that the PGIIRE public school would use for a period of 10 years part of the classrooms of the 29th SU "Kuzman Shapkarev". The motive then was the small number of students at the municipal school. In recent years, however, the number of students has grown in both schools and they need additional classrooms and offices, and the contract is expiring.
With a letter to the Ministry of Education, six more classrooms were requested for the PGIIRE public school, and there was no way to provide them. For this reason, the Romanian High School cannot continue to use part of the building of the 29th school.
In other words, the first term of the academic year 2024-2025 is secured, but where will the second term be… Not yet known.
Another thing is also interesting. The contract expires in the spring of 2025, and the second term is in question… Why?
This was also the reason for the parents to gather at a protest to clarify the issue of the future of PGIIRE.
The basis of the protest of students and parents is the information that appeared that the Romanian high school will move to a neglected building in the "Svoboda" district. Worried students and parents sent a report to FAKTI, in which they show the conditions in the building in Svoboda quarter, as well as the correspondence they have had with various institutions.
Statement of the Ministry of Education and Culture, sent to the parent board of PGIIRE: „The State profiled high school with intensive study of the Romanian language (PGIIRE) “Mihai Eminescu” uses a building for the educational process – municipal property, jointly with the 29th Secondary School “Kuzman Shapkarev”, located on “Georgi S. Rakovski“ No. 20, Sofia. The contract for the property was concluded for a period of 10 years and expires in the spring of 2025 The Ministry of Education and Science has repeatedly in recent years initiated conversations and sent inquiries to the Metropolitan Municipality, to the “Serdika” and to the 29th Secondary School “Kuzman Shapkarev“ with a request to extend the contract for the use of the property by PGIIRE “Mihai Eminescu”. Unfortunately, categorical answers were received from the mayor of the Serdika region, the pedagogical council and the public council of the 29th SU "Kuzman Shapkarev", in which the opinion was expressed that the PGIIRE "Mihai Eminescu" SHOULD VACATE THE PREMISES he uses in the building on “G. S. Rakovski“ No. 20. As the main reason, it was stated that it is evident from the realized admission of students in the 29th SU “Kuzman Shapkarev“ for the academic year 2024/2025, their number is twice as much as in 2015, when vacant premises were given to use by PGIIRE “Mihai Eminescu“ and now the same are needed by the 29th SU “Kuzman Shapkarev“ for conducting an educational process. PGIIRE “Mihai Eminescu“ was created by virtue of a bilateral agreement between Bulgaria and Romania, according to which the Bulgarian high school “Hristo Botev“ in Bucharest. It is a continuation of the traditions of the former Romanian Lyceum, which existed until 1945. Due to its symbolic importance and long-term residence at its current address, the Ministry of Education and Culture will continue to seek dialogue so that the educational process can continue to take place in the current building. In parallel, all other possibilities will be sought to secure a suitable building for the school. Until now, other places where PGIIRE “Mihai Eminescu“ to continue conducting the educational process from the beginning of the next school year.“
This is what is also said in the position of the school community of the 29th SU “Kuzman Shapkarev“: “In recent days, speculative claims have appeared in the media space that the 29th SU “ ;Kuzman Shapkarev“ is responsible for the problem of providing a building fund for PGIIRE “Mihai Eminescu“. We categorically state that such suggestions do not correspond to the truth and provoke unnecessary opposition between the two schools.
The facts are as follows:
The state high school “Mihai Eminescu“ is housed in the building of the municipal 29. SU “Kuzman Shapkarev“ with Decision No. 65/12.02.2015 of the Metropolitan Municipal Council. It has been given 9 premises for free use for a period of 10 years, which will expire in 2025. During these 10 years, the students of both schools have doubled. Our cohabitation in the municipal building on “G. S. Rakovski“ No. 20 has not been adequate to our needs for a long time, for which we have notified all responsible institutions. It is known that we have a shortage of classrooms that will only get worse. There is a permanent tendency for the growth of 29. SU “Kuzman Shapkarev“. Our school teaches children and students from the preparatory group up to the 12th grade. In recent years, the STEM profile "Software and Hardware Sciences" has been successfully developed in it, to which there is increased interest. In 2023, 105 eighth-graders were admitted to the high school stage – five times more than in 2018. This year, admission was again realized in 4 classes of VIII grade with the same profile, and each of them has a maximum number of students – 26/27. With the growth of residential construction in the neighborhood, the number of children in the primary stage also increases. A STEM center will be built on the third floor and a complete renovation of the schoolyard is underway. This upward trend in the development of 29. SU is a good sign for the capital's education system, which should not be dismissed. We believe that the only reasonable solution that will put an end to the shortage of rooms for both educational institutions is for the state to find a suitable building for PGIIRE “Mihai Eminescu”. We appreciate the efforts of all institutions that act in this direction. We are not chasing anyone! We protect the interests of our students who need a calm and supportive educational environment. It is not our fault that for 10 years the problem with the building stock of PGIIRE has not been solved. We believe that the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Metropolitan Municipality will take the necessary steps to protect the interests of both schools, without conflict situations and escalation of tension. The position is that of the entire team and the Public Council of the 29th SU “Kuzman Shapkarev“.“
Students and parents – on the one hand, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the municipality and the 29th SU “Kuzman Shapkarev“ – are on the other side. Simply put – administration, or to be more precise, a sluggish administration, although it is about education and the creation of conditions for the conduct of a normal educational process in Sofia.
During the “administrative talks” the idea of moving the building of the Technical School of Polymers to the "Svoboda" quarter is creeping in. Understand - from the center of the city in an outer district. Students from PGIIRE have visited the school in Svoboda district, and the photos they sent us are more than eloquent.
This is what they write: „Hello, we went to the building on “Rozhen“ 25. The building, as we already know, is not in a condition for safe occupancy. The yard is all in bushes, trees, garbage, glass, the asphalt itself is in holes and stones, there are no fences in most places, and where there are, they are broken and crooked, there are currently no gym equipment, nor basketball equipment - baskets, and there is no fence to secure the field itself.
The windows are mostly broken or simply missing, and in their place there are wooden panels, which are pressed with cabinets on the inside. We also found out that the salon is NOT owned by the school, but is instead rented out to a folk dance school "Body folk"; we were able to see a bit of the lounge and we could see that it was on two floors: the lower floor was relatively empty and small, the ceiling was suspended (bulging down) and attached with something like cardboard, the second floor was not a lounge but was something like that of a directorate with many rooms. At the moment it is not known what it is, in what condition it is or to whom it belongs.
The security of the building welcomed us and told us about the building, pointed out the "nice" its features and advantages. It only showed the lobby and a bit of one corridor. It wasn't that bad inside, but there are leaks, and it definitely smelled very moldy inside. From the outside it is very clear that inside the main building the rooms are empty, cluttered with some old and unusable items or under "renovation", some of the windows were broken, missing and replaced again with wooden panels, and some of them were with glued white sheets (for drawing).
These sheets were pasted by TOHA students due to the strong sun and the lack of curtains or blinds. Around the school the windows were even worse and so was the grounds, everything was very dirty - there was a hell of a lot of broken glass, rubbish such as alcohol bottles, mattresses, box springs, parts of TVs and cars which were very likely from the garages next to the building , there were many bushes, tall trees, ivy and school supplies on the ground. All the walls are cracked and paint and plaster are falling off. There is no lighting around the building, and if there was, it didn't work - the lamps were rusted and tilted, as if they were going to fall. Through the windows it was very clear that the rooms were in a miserable condition, they were empty, they had no lighting, let alone heating, etc.“ (p.s. the post is long)
And how it all happens
On Thursday – October 17, 2024, the director of PGIIRE "Mihai Eminescu" informs the teachers' council that the high school will be moving because the lease in the building of the 29th SU "Kuzman Shapkarev" is expiring. The teachers inform the children. There are rumors about a proposal to move our school to the building of the former Technical College of Polymer Technologies, located at 25 Rozhen Blvd. The building has been uninhabited since 2005. At the moment, since the beginning of this school year, there are "temporarily" accommodated 900 students from the Technical School of Tourism.
Bulgaria-Romania
The Romanian High School "Mihai Eminescu" was opened 25 years ago under a contract between Romania and Bulgaria. There is a Bulgarian high school in Bucharest, which has been housed in a building in the historic center of the city since the day it was opened, while the Romanian high school in Sofia has changed 4 administrative addresses so far.
Of course, the desire of parents and teachers is to find a permanent solution to the building problem, because the second term is approaching...