Students threatened to boycott the test matriculation exam on Bulgarian language and literature, scheduled for May 8. Аccording to Stoyan Monev, chairman of the Initiative Committee for clarity on the Bulgarian education, all students will hand back blank pages. Students from Sofia and Pernik gathered on April 27 to protest against the introduction of obligatory matriculation exams. The organizers warned that the protest will continue in case the Education Ministry does not respond adequately to the situation. In the opinion of the Committee the obligatory matriculation exams can be introduced in at least five years when a unified syllabus is prepared. At the beginning of April pupils demanded the resignation of Education Minister Vladimir Atanassov following the planned introduction of obligatory matriculation exams in 2003. They said it would be impossible for them to prepare for such a short time for the exams, which will also be considered as entry exams for universities.