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YOUNG SCIENTISTS MEASURE “MINISTERIAL STUPIDITY” IN BULGARIA’S CAPITAL
19:32 Fri 12 Oct 2007 - Elitsa Savova
 
The protesters collected alms for Bulgarian science<br> Photo by Elitsa Savova
The protesters collected alms for Bulgarian science
Photo by Elitsa Savova

Young scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Science (BAS) staged a street theater play in protest against the bad financial situation of science in Bulgaria.

The protesters enacted how Bulgarian Science was useless because it “had no money” and how “its children” ran away to universities abroad.

The young scientists also showed a new invention, a radiation intelecto-meter, which measured ministerial stupidity. They asked how there could be enough money for new skyscrapers for the Cabinet administration, but not enough money for teachers and science.

They recalled the Cabinet’s statements that Bulgaria registered a record-breaking budget surplus.

Teachers, who protested in front of the Council of Ministers’ offices, joined the BAS scientists’ protest calling for “resignation”.

Teachers have been on an effective strike since September 24 2007, demanding higher salaries. On October 11, teachers from the whole country gathered in Sofia for a national protest. According go teachers’ unions, some 75 000 people joined the protest.

Young scientists from BAS have repeated protested the lack of funding for science in Bulgaria. On October 3, they organised matches in rolling pumpkins across Battenberg Square in Sofia under the title Turning Around Lack of Education. In Bulgarian Folklore, the pumpkin is synonym for idiotic behaviour.

 
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Comments
 
Comments by George Chaldakov - 02:24 14 Oct 2007
VOX PROFESSORE, VOX DEI! Part 2 Dr George Chaldakov Medical University, Varna Recently, the names of Nobel prize-2007 winners were announced – as usually, no Bulgarian names included. Traditionally (for at least last 60 years), Bulgarian governments cannot understand that such a prestigeous achievement is mothered in the schools and the universities, by creative and devoted work of teachers - the first bigest after our parents! The recent agreement for collaboration between Bulgaria and Sweden in education and science might somehow be instrumental in acheiving such a Nobel goal. Yet, I do not believe in this agreement's materialization, because it was signed by a man who prefers attending volleyball and football matches instead of visiting university auditoria and research laboratories. And so doing most, if not all, of Bulgarian MP and ministers. In general, we cannot succeed in our social and political life, because of our “social egoism”, that is, providing no support to others’ efforts and protests, a recent join/mixing of BAS's young scientists with teachers' strike being an promissing exception. However, neither the Rector, nor teachers and students from Sofia State University have joined the teachers' protest calling for “resignation”, a front of the Parliament surrounded by fences and policemen ordered by the Parliamentary Chairman. This "social egoism" together with traditional good links between "dogging" intellectuals and politicians in power are among the major reasons, which "regulate" (political and economical) BG status quo: before being closest to Soviet Union, now on the bottom of European Union... However, “a tree giving no good fruit, is cut and burned” (Matthew 7: 19). Or, resign!
 
 
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