Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov: Continue with the Same Enthusiasm and Leadership to Work for Bulgarian Education, Mrs. Takeva

The Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov greeted the President of the Syndicate of Bulgarian Teachers D.Sc./Econ./ Yanka Takeva at the VIII Congress of the Syndicate for the partnership and 33 years of enthusiasm. He expressed his contentment for being among colleagues because the higher education is in wonderful cooperation with the secondary education and featured the contact points with secondary schools. "We have 7 000 of your children and our children prepared by you that apply to the UNWE." He introduced the Association of Economic Schools in Bulgaria and the Association of Language Schools in Bulgaria and invited teachers willing to join. He also said that from the current year our university started to prepare teachers in economics and informatics jointly with the University of Thrace.

In her speech Dr. Yanka Takeva said: "I welcome the Rector of the most prestigious university in Bulgaria Prof. Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov and I thank for the partnership, for the attitude, for everything we do together to raise the authority, respect and esteem of the Bulgarian teacher." She outlined that the higher education enters the secondary education and they partner in the best way.

The event was also attended by 50 international guests from state institutions and trade unions from Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Poland, Cyprus, Turkey, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, representatives from the EU and the EC, etc.

Greetings to the attendees were addressed by 5 ministers of education and science over the years. Mrs. Yanka Takeva pointed out that each one of them has left a piece of good in the education system.

Prof. Galin Tsokov	Mr. Krasimir Valchev

The current Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov featured the challenges and priorities in education some of which he sees in how artificial intelligence will be involved in education, in the development of the material base, information and digital environment. He also pointed out that serious attention would also be paid to the personal development of children supporting the development of their strengths so they be prepared for the new challenges of the labor market of industry 5.0.

Mr. Krasimir Valchev, Minister of Education and Science in the period 2017-2021 and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education in the current Parliament, expressed his thankfulness for the joint work and for what the union has done for Bulgarian education. "There is not a single change and reform in education that has happened without the Union of Bulgarian Teachers. In this room is the Coalition of Bulgarian Education, without this coalition we will not succeed in any task we have set ourselves."

D.Sc./Hist./ Sergey Ignatov	Prof. Todor Tanev	Prof. Sasho Penov

D.Sc./Hist./ Sergey Ignatov, Minister of Education, Youth and Science in the period 2009-2013 pointed out that "the problems of education are not only Bulgarian and if there is no common interaction and supporters, the results will be deplorable." He pointed out that the education must develop children's social knowledge and skills which will become increasingly important regardless of new trends in the IT field.

"It is very easy to work with the Syndicate of Bulgarian Teachers when you have good ideas", said Prof. Todor Tanev, Minister of Education and Science in the period 2014-2016.

Prof. Sasho Penov, Minister of Education and Science in 2022 and 2023, referred to the First Bulgarian Constitution and the right to education which corresponds to the obligation of the state, which in turn cannot be fulfilled without teachers and their organizations.

The Rector Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, Minister Galin Tsokov and Chief Assist. Dr. Lyuboslav Kostov, Chief Economist of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and lecturer at the UNWE /from the right to the left/	The Rector with Vanya Kastreva, Head of the Regional Directorate of Education Sofia-City