Bulgaria Academy of Sciences Under Financial Scrutiny

Domestic | May 18, 2010, Tuesday // 14:39|  views

Bulgaria's Minister of Education, Sergey Ignatov, plans to go ahead with reforming BAS despite strong protests by the country's academics. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) will be subjected to a financial audit, stated Tuesday Bulgaria's Education Minister Sergey Ignatov.

Ignatov explained in an interview for the national channel Nova TV that while the financial inspection of the Academy is underway, all reforms within the institution will be halted.

In April the GERB center-right government voted on restructuring the Academy by cutting its institutes from 69 to 40, making them independent and responsible for their own budgets thus depriving the Academy of its managerial functions.

Bulgaria's scholars were outraged over the planned reforms and are expected to rally against them on Wednesday.

However, the government is unlikely to waver in its decision as the reforms “are for the better” explained Minister Ignatov.

“The entire Bulgarian public supports the BAS and considers it a national cause. BAS is not a political problem. BAS is an institution that has symbolized the spirit of Bulgaria for 140 years,” said Tuesday the Chair of the Academy Nikola Sabotinov.

BAS released a declaration Monday saying that they do not need to excessively dramatize their problems.

Recently, due to the budget deficit, the government undertook a number of changes within the education system, including reducing funds for Bulgaria's oldest university St. St. Kliment Ohridski (from BGN 7 M to BGN 2 M) and restructuring the Academy by closing down its main administration and making its property state ownership.

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Tags: BAS, financial audit, Sergey Ignatov, reforms, Nikola Sabotinov

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