Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Apostolov

South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Blagoevgrad

EEU Annual Conference, June 22-23, 2012, Maastricht

Bulgarian Higher education and research system and structure

• National Assembly – Committee for Education, Science, Children, Youths ans Sports

• Ministry of Education, Youth and Science

• National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency

• Rectors’ Conference

• Universities and Colleges (52+51)

• Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

• National Science Fund

• Around 20 000 teaching and research staff in HES

Education, Employment and Social Inclusion

Unemployment rates in Bulgaria according to different education levels:

4,5 % with higher education

8,5 % with high education

22,7% with secondary education

Source: European Commission, The European Higher Education Area in 2012

% unemployed aged betwenn 24-30г. according to the education level

Nubers of students in the HE system and 2020 targets

The percentage of HE graduates aged 30-34 г. in 2010 е:

Bulgaria - 27,7 % ЕС27 - 33,6%.

Bulgarian 2020 target - 36%

Students enrolled in 2009-2010 accorrding to the different levels are:

Professional Bachelor (short cycle) – 28 947 Bachelor and Master – 254 289 PhD – 3 850

Source: Eurostat, 05.2012

Current % and 2020 targets

Enrolled and graduated rates The difference between enrolled and graduated with Bachelor degree in 2009 is 20.8%.

The difference between enrolled and graduated with Master degree is 3,2% .

For the period 2003/2004 - 2008/2009 in Bulgaria there is an encrease with 20% of those who enroll in HEIs. If this trend continues the 2020 target (36%) could be achieved

Source: European Commission, The European Higher Education Area in 2012

Rate of enrollment between 2003/2004 - 2008/2009

Student mobility in the ЕС-27

Student mobility from and to Bulgaria in 2009 is 23 of 1000

Financial reasons remain the key obstacle for raising the rate of mobility

Източник: Eurostat, 05.2012

Брой лица в програми за мобилност в ЕС (1000)

Graduates in Natural Sciences and Mathematics

% of youngsters aged between 20-29 studied and graduated in the fields of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (2009):

Bulgaria – 10,1 of 1000 ЕС-27 – 14,2 of1000

Source: Eurostat, 05.2012

Кадри с подготовка в областта на математическите и точните науки

The Universities as research centers and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS)

3.3% (or 134 of the total 4064) Bulgarian patents for the period 1994 – 2007 were registered by the universities; for the same period BAS had the share -3,3% (according to the Bulgarian Patent Bulletin)

45.98% of all 22 170 research articles for the period 1999-2008 were published by the universities and 54,02% - by BAS

Funding Higher education

• Higher education funding in 2009 is 0,86% of GDP (0,19% of them allocated to supplementary measures and 0,02% for R&D

• At the same time the public expenditures for a full-time student are very high compared to the Purchasing power index in Bulgaria – 43,7%

Sources: European Commission, The European Higher Education Area in 2012

Public expenditures for HE - % GDP

Sources: European Commission, The European Higher Education Area in 2012

Annual public expenditures of HEIs for their students as % fo the GDP per capita

Higher education sector and Lifelong Learning

There is no an effective system for LLL in Bulgaria:

Only 12,6 % of people above 30 years old in Bulgaria study in HEIs or research organizations;

Only 1,3% of the population participate in some form of LLL compared to the EU average of 9,3%

There is no a system in Bulgaria for recognition of prior, informal and non formal learning outside of the educational institutions.

Only 31% of the private companies in Bulgaria (2008) offer any kinds of qualification courses for their empoyees.

Source: EC, The European Higher Education Area in 2012

% of the companies, which offer any kinds of qualification training to their employees

Education profile of the Bulgarian workforce 12,4% with secondary or lower education 60,5% with high education 27,1% with higher education

•Total expenditures for R&D as % GDP (Eurostat 2010):• Bulgaria: 0,6%• ЕС-27: 2,00%

•Expenditures of the private sector for R&D as % of GDP (2010):• Bulgaria: 0,3%• ЕС-27: 1,23%

•Share of the private and public expenditures for R&D (2010):• In Bulgaria - 30:70 • In the OECD countries - 70:30

•% of the total public expences for R&D adopted by the universities (2009)

• Bulgaria - 14% • ЕС-27 - 23,7%

Recent: National Roadmap for Research Infrastructure was developed and

aproved by the Council of Ministers in 2010

New Law on the Promotion of Academic/Research Staff enacted in 2010

Launch of a National Ranking System in 2010

Approvement of the National Qualification Framework in 2012

Development of the National Research Strategy 2009 – 2019

Expected:• New Higher Education Act

• New Law for the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences