Bulgaria's Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, has vowed an additional BGN 40 M for the country's education, Education Minister, Sergey Ignatov, informs.

Ignatov spoke Wednesday saying he needed and wanted much more, but was happy with the news.

The Finance Ministry has not yet officially confirmed the news.

Half of the funds will go to the middle and high schools, which are in better state since reforms there have started years ago.

"Science is a sector where problems cannot be solved only with pouring money in. If EU norms would be applied in Bulgaria neither science nor education would get any funding. Here all attempts for change are met with raging opposition by a critical mass of people who wish to keep us living in provincial despair because it makes them feel significant. This is the bare truth. And the reason why solving the issues is so difficult," Ignatov said.

Earlier Wednesday, college and university students staged a protest rally over the drastic budget cuts in higher education.

Djankov attended the meeting of the parliamentary education committee, but Ivelin Nikolov, Member of the Parliament from the opposition left-wing Coalition for Bulgaria, declined to confirm the information for the additional funding, saying "Djankov has anywhere between BGN 20 M and 60 M, which he promises every day to different people."

The MP from the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, Snezhana Dukova, informed Djankov met with GERB MPs before the meeting and promised them budget changes between the first and second read.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!