EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
After the latest student representation events, we decided to talk to Rosen Sharkov from the University of National and World Economy. He is an activist in the "Change for Students" Movement and is fighting for us all to see different student councils. Here's what he told us.
Did the students know about the existence of the NPSS (National Representation of Student Councils) before the meeting at Arena Armeec, did they know what the priorities of this organization were?
A large part of the students in Bulgaria had not heard of this organization. The funny thing about this case is that this organization represents nearly 280,000 students at the national level. The priorities of this organization should be, firstly, to familiarize themselves with the problems of students in Bulgaria and, secondly, to defend the interests of students before the official bodies - the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
What was the purpose of the meeting at Arena Armeec?
First of all, I think that the main idea was an attempt to legitimize the previously unknown organization NPSS in front of the students, but everyone clearly saw that there was almost no student presence at the "Arena Armeec", the audience consisted of elderly people, Roma and students, who were obviously organized from somewhere, because they had been brought in by buses.
What do you think about the choice of Hristo Stoichkov as the face of the students?
I definitely think this is a wrong move, because no matter how good a footballer Mr. Stoichkov is, he should not represent the students, due to the fact that he has never been a student, does not know the problems and specifics of the given environment, the person himself is known for his vulgar and arrogant behavior over the years, and has a poor verbal vocabulary.
Is it normal for a student representative to form the political movement "Eagle Bridge"?
Of course, it is not normal. The chairman of a national student representation cannot involve an entire community in his political ideas and goals and allow himself to discredit it in front of the public in this way. The actions of Angel Georgiev (the chairman of the NPSS) definitely negatively affected the image of students in Bulgaria. It was very clear that everything was planned in advance and it was a high-budget campaign. My colleagues told me that on the day of the meeting at Arena Armeec, many flyers were distributed, and they even drove around Studentski Grad with megaphones and called on students to attend the meeting.
Is the NPSS organization necessary for students in Bulgaria?
Yes, undoubtedly such an organization should exist, but it is imperative that it be fundamentally reformed, its statutes changed, more regulatory mechanisms put in place to prevent such sham events in the future. I believe that it should be more open to students, i.e. they should have the opportunity to give their ideas for consideration and recall student leaders in case of non-fulfillment of their duties and participate in their election, there should be transparency and publicity in the actions of the members and the organization.
Why is such an organization needed?
To assist, further develop and stimulate student activity in Bulgaria, to defend the interests of the student community and to represent Bulgarian students in the international organization "European Students' Union" (ESU), which includes the national student organizations of the remaining 26 EU members.
How exactly should it support and stimulate? Which interests should it defend and why not now?
By conducting a study on what needs to be improved in the higher education system in Bulgaria, to take know-how from the most prestigious foreign universities to modernize teaching and practices, because many of them are lagging behind. On the other hand, the interests that they should protect are - "increasing the quality of education, improving the teacher-student relationship, creating prerequisites for the growth of the country's young scientific potential in the face of doctoral students, increasing the degree of self-government, borrowing good practices in the field of mobility and the development of career centers in places. " - quote from the NPSS website. They have only been registered, but nothing has been done so far, this must change.
Should it take money from student fees? Wouldn't it be better to finance it on a voluntary basis?
Since one of its main functions is representative, the funding should be less than that stipulated in the Higher Education Act (HEA), which is 10% of the budget of the student councils of Bulgarian higher education institutions - (Art. 73a, para. 3 of HEA), and the budgets of the student councils are formed from 1% of the university subsidy - (Art. 72. (5) of HEA).
What do you think about student councils?
Unfortunately, student councils also need reform, but the change should start with the university administration, since universities have autonomy by law. That is, in order to change student councils, the regulations in the universities must be changed, which would allow for the reform.
The problems in student councils mostly come from the lack of transparency about when elections are held, what the procedural requirements are for candidates. Procedural criteria cannot be ignored, because one unobserved administrative detail can prevent a student from running in the elections. Students have lost faith in this structure, because the organization operates covertly. Yes, there are undoubtedly many events organized by student councils, but as long as there is no transparency in the selection of candidates, this structure will not operate effectively and people will be apathetic and will continue to have a negative opinion of its activities.
