“Student internships must be paid”said Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov in response to a question during a meeting with young people at Sofia University on Tuesday, minutes before it became clear that his resignation had been submitted to the National Assembly.
The Prime Minister stated that the first paid internships were made under European programs between 2014-2021 and even then the business representatives were told that these were models that they had to develop.
“What has changed so far is that the shortage of personnel is so acute that employers have realized that they have to work with universities and vocational high schools, rather than this being the responsibility of the state.”Denkov said.
He has encouraged business actions in this direction in recent years. According to Academician Denkov, the first step towards paid internships for students has been taken, and now it is only necessary to help it continue and improve.
In the summer, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to ban unpaid internships, which was seen as an important step in that direction. Unpaid student internships are a common problem for young people who want to gain more experience in their professional field.
“A change is needed in education so that we don’t stand still”
Nikolay Denkov also commented on the topic of the necessary changes in school and higher education. He stated that the measures for ensuring access to education and those for quality education are mixed up and it is difficult to introduce quality measures in Bulgarian universities.
“Bulgarian universities are not where they should be, and a structural problem is noticeable because quality criteria are not a priority. Without setting a very high stake in improving the quality of education, we will continue to stomp in one place”the prime minister pointed out.
According to him, the pandemic has worsened the quality of school education, but still schools have coped with these difficulties.
“Everything should be done so that teachers feel comfortable and confident that they can impart knowledge to children”he added.
The Prime Minister also commented on the topic of the proposal to drop student fees at state universities. He stated that he expects the amendments to the law on higher education to be submitted for a vote in the National Assembly soon.
“This measure gives greater access to higher education. It is a measure that can undoubtedly help. What we can do is financially compensate universities for dropping fees. No higher school or major will be harmed.” , he told the students and the rector of the Sofia University Prof. Georgi Valchev.
The Prime Minister noted that he does not accept the argument that paying the fee will increase the quality of higher education. According to him, it is important to improve the remuneration of university teachers.
The proposal to waive tuition fees for students and doctoral students in state-sponsored higher education institutions in places subsidized by the state is contained in changes to the Law on Higher Education. It was put up for public comment until the end of February. However, trade unions and rectors of various universities, as well as the academic community of Sofia University, spoke out against him.
Denkov also spoke about youth civic organizations and their role in building active young people, encouraging their work and pointing to the work of various student councils and student organizations as a good example.
According to him, it is being discussed how to improve the financing and support of civil organizations. According to the prime minister, the worrying trend is that a large part of young people do not understand why they need to be interested in politics or be civically active, but the responsibility lies with a large part of the politicians who show the worst part of politics and push young people away.
The main priorities
Before answering the questions of the young people, Denkov addressed them by noting the main priorities that the government has been working on for the past 9 months.
These are the European democratic development of Bulgaria, the independence of the justice system and the acceptance of Bulgaria into Schengen, the Eurozone and the OECD.
“It is through them that the best standards are created in terms of government management, in terms of education, health care. The question is in the rules,” he said.
According to him, a lot of work needs to be done in other areas as well, but these are the main priorities that need to be worked on in the future.
The Prime Minister spoke to students from various universities, organizations and specialties in the crowded Auditorium of Sofia University.
The event entitled “Young People Talk to the Prime Minister” was organized by the National Youth Forum, the Political Scientist Student Club, the Student Association for the Study of International Relations, the European Studies Club, Active Policies, the Student Diplomatic Club and with the assistance of the Student Council at Sofia University.
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