Over 60% of the Bulgarian schools would have to start the school year with maintenance difficulties, if the government does not allocate the promised additional BGN 61 M.

The warning was issued Thursday the Bulgarian Teachers Trade Union.

According to the union leader, Yanka Takeva, the new expense standard, increased by 10,6% needed to become effective in July with a country average of BGN 1263 compared to the previous BGN 1151.

Takeva further believes that in addition to the maintenance difficulties, many schools would become insolvent while 350 Bulgarian schools are going to be closed by September 15.

300 of the school closings are going to be the result of municipal proposals, 34 are trade high schools plus 17-18 educational facilities that are not school related.

271 of those schools have already been closed. The 350 closings will lead to 5,000 unemployed teachers.

The trade unions propose development of programs for redirecting the discharged teachers to other professions as well as increasing the number of protected schools where over 6,000 students from the closed schools are to be redirected.

In 80% of the Bulgarian schools the promised by July new average salary of BGN 650 has not been reached.

New teachers' strikes such as the ones from the fall of 2007 have not yet been scheduled, however, the trade unions insist on the introduction of a unified expense standard of BGN 1700 in the 2009 school budget, a double increase of the teachers' salaries and financing of teachers' staff development.

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