The interesting truth was that in the educational system itself serious reserves were hidden which could be used for teachers salaries, Dnevnik daily said.
The number of children and students in Bulgaria continued to decrease, while the number of teachers increased. Evidently, Dnevnik said, if this trend would be stopped or even reversed, significant resources would become available, which could be used towards increasing teachers' salaries.
The teachers' strike caused an argument whether or not there was enough money for teachers' salaries. Teachers wanted a significantly bigger share of GDP to be reserved for education as well as a 100 per cent salary increase, the daily said.
The Government did not accept these demands because they would cost too much of the budget, and offered a smaller increase.
Bulgaria had a very high students/teachers co-efficient, much higher than in countries with more efficient ratio.
If the number of teachers would be decreased to the ration of the most efficient countries, the salaries of the remaining teachers could be increased by 50 to 60 per cent, Dnevnik said.
The question is whether unions would sacrifice a number of teachers, so there would be less, but better paid teachers in the system, the newspaper said.
Comments by Patrick - 23:20 04 Oct 2007 |
 | Just because the number of students per teacher declines doesn't mean fewer teachers are needed. Some of the classes are necessarily smaller because of demographic changes. Student/teacher ratio can decline while the average student finds himself in a larger class. Number of students per teacher is not a measure that can be validly used to determine the optimum number of teachers, or to compare the quality or efficiency of education of different countries. |  |
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| The government have been brainwashing public opinion through the media that if they give the teachers 100% salary increases, they will be unable to pay others such as firemen, doctors, the police etc etc. This is a common, cheap argument that has been used in many countries over the years. The answer is very simple. If they are the government of the country, they have a duty to find the money for all of them. That's their job.
We all know that they have been losing a great deal of public revenue through tax evasion. We all know that there is a tremendous number of "cash payments" (more than 300,000 over a year, of which the lowest were 300,000 leva). That's where the money goes. That's the government's (and the country's) lost revenue.
Recently, we bought a car for about 15,000 leva but the dealer declared only 9,000 leva. "Everybody does it", we were told. State (and Government) inefficiency and corruption makes it possible.
But they are deluding themselves if the think that the false sense of security and balance they have been cultivating, with their so-called "surplus budgets" is going to last for much longer. Teachers and most working people have been living on starvation incomes for far too long. Soon, everybody will be on strike – not just the teachers.
Probably by next year, everybody will be demanding what they have been deprived of for far too long. Unless they truly put the working people of their country on the European map, the Bulgarian government are going to experience a total crisis of strikes and industrial action.
The best thing they can to do, if they want to avoid such developments, is to make sure that the country's revenue is not stolen and/or wasted through inefficiency and corruption, instead of putting forward stupid, childish arguments. | |
Comments by CJ - 18:25 06 Oct 2007 |
| I would be more inclined to be sympathetic towards the plight of teachers in Bulgaria if it were not for the endemic petty corruption in the education system.
Let's face it, bribes for 'special treatment' are not limited to traffic cops: workers in hospitals, schools, tax offices are all amenable to additional 'fees'.
If the teachers get their pay increases, will they then stop taking bribes, or 'moonlighting' for private tuition when they are supposed to be teaching their official pupils?
Don't hold your breath. | |
