Bulgarian parents set up an initiative committee Thursday, which is going to act in defense of a paragraph of the Public Education Act that was recently cast out by the Parliamentary Committee on Education.

Item 4, Paragraph 16 of the Public Education Act used to read: "The State Educational Requirements refer to ... the mastering of the literary Bulgarian language".

However, the Council of Ministers has proposed changes to the Act that remove Item 4, Paragraph 16. On March 6, they were approved at first reading by the Bulgarian Parliament.

The Parents' Initiative Committee protests against this change and insists on the adoption of clear standards for the mastering of the Bulgarian language in the country's schools.

"We insist that our children together with all Bulgarian citizens know the history of their country, and speak and master the official language of their fatherland, and that this be guaranteed by the state in the legislation", the petition of the parents reads.

It also states the Ministry of Education and Science was obliged to defend and preserve the Bulgarian language as a sign of the educational level of the Bulgarian citizens.

According to the Committee, the abolition of Item 4, Paragraph 16 of the State Education Act broke the Constitution, which stated explicitly that Bulgarian was the official language in the country. This means it should be mastered at the proper high level by all Bulgarian citizens, and it should be required and used in all Bulgarian institutions.

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