During the past week the youth campaign supporting the reform in higher education “SOS – Save the Education Now!” passed through the greater part of the regional cities of Bulgaria. Sofia, Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, Varna, Burgas, Veliko Turnovo, Shumen, Yambol, Pleven, Gabrovo, Targovishte, Sliven and Pazardjik are the cities, in which the campaign already passed successfully.
In the middle of the month of February 30 youths from all over Bulgaria formed four mobile groups, with which they traveled through the biggest cities of Bulgaria as well as almost all of the university student centers. Their target was to familiarise the citizens with the “SOS – Save the Education Now!” campaign, which is conducted jointly with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science and supports the reform in higher education. In each of the cities the young people were greeted by over 20 other youths, with whom they stretched the “SOS – Save the Education Now!” tents and in the continuation of hours explained the ideas and targets of the campaign and collected the opinion of the people about Bulgarian higher education. In an adjusted video corner and in a special designed notebook for this target every citizen could leave their message, idea, suggestion or critic towards Mr. Ignatov – Minister of Education, Youth and Science or the education system as a whole.
The people did not save ink and soon the notebooks gradually filled up. They filled up with congrats for the great initiative to ideas how should the modern Bulgarian higher education look, what should be the criteria for the lecturers, what should be in the basis of the program of the different universities, what should be changed in Bulgarian higher education facilities and how should this be accomplished. There was no lack of comments made by young people. A great number of them shared experience, which they have acquired in student exchange programs, such as the “Erasmus Program” and “CEEPUS” or during their education in foreign universities. Surprisingly, there was no lack of comments from older citizens, as well. The grandmothers and grandfathers concerned for the education of their grandchildren wrote idea after idea and suggestion after suggestion in the notebooks. Many of them recorded video messages towards Minister Ignatov and all of them united in the standpoint that young people deserve a fitting future (and education) in their country. The comments of lecturers were also present they expressed their support for the campaign and congratulated the young people for their engagement in the education problem. All of the opinions collected during the campaign will be handed to Minister Ignatov, so they can be taken under consideration in the development of the new law for higher education.
In the different cities the campaign passed with different interest, but as a whole the mobile teams managed to speak with 200 to 300 people each day. The total number of people, which the “SOS campaign” reached personally, is over several thousand and through the wonderful media coverage by the media partners of the campaign Darik Radio, Nova Television and Standart Newspaper, as well as the various local media, the efficiency was raised even more.
The next stops of the mobile teams are: Stara Zagora and Rousse (on the 5th of March); Vidin, Vratza, Haskovo and Razgrad (on the 6th of March); Montana, Kustendil and Kurdjali (on the 7th of March); Pernik, Smolyan, Dobrich (on the 13th of March).
The campaign will end with an official press conference in Sofia, which will be attended not only by the organisers and the media partners, but also by Mr. Ignatov – Minister of Education, Youth and Science.
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