One of Bulgaria’s key priorities, in accordance with the national strategy “Bulgaria 2030”, is the modernisation and internationalisation of education. A practical step in this direction was the visit of Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov to Ukraine, during which the Minister of Education and Science, Professor Sergey Ignatov, signed a Protocol on cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. What format of partnership does this document provide for?
Key provisions of the Protocol on cooperation
On 30 March 2026, during the official visit of Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov to Ukraine, the Bulgarian side reached important agreements in the field of education. The Minister of Education and Science of Bulgaria, Professor Sergey Ignatov, signed the Protocol with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oksen Lisovyi, which consolidates further support for the Bulgarian community in Ukraine and the expansion of bilateral educational cooperation.
The Protocol is primarily aimed at preserving and developing the Bolhrad Gymnasium named after H. S. Rakovsky in the Odesa region as a key centre of Bulgarian education, language, and culture outside Bulgaria.
Main provisions of the Protocol regarding the Bolhrad Gymnasium
- Students of Bulgarian origin will continue to study the Bulgarian language, literature, history, traditions, and customs, as well as other subjects in Bulgarian, in accordance with the Bulgarian curriculum.
- Bulgaria will provide the gymnasium with the necessary textbooks and modern teaching materials.
- The Bulgarian side will organise professional development courses for the gymnasium’s teachers at Bulgarian higher education institutions.
- Language courses and educational placements in Bulgaria are предусмотрені for senior students.
- At the request of the Ukrainian side, Bulgaria will send qualified teachers of the Bulgarian language and literature, history, geography of Bulgaria, folk music, and dance.
In addition, the Protocol stipulates that the top graduate of the gymnasium and the winner of the All-Ukrainian Olympiad in Bulgarian language and literature will have the opportunity to enrol in Bulgarian universities at Bachelor’s or Master’s level.
It should be noted that cooperation in supporting the Bolhrad Gymnasium was not the only subject of discussion. In addition, representatives of Bulgaria and Ukraine reached a number of further agreements, in particular:
- the parties discussed the possibility of establishing a Ukrainian school in Bulgaria based on the model of the Bolhrad Gymnasium in order to preserve Ukrainian identity
- the ministers agreed to intensify cooperation between the universities of the two countries in the field of scientific research and the study of shared history
- the establishment of a Bulgarian–Ukrainian historical commission to ensure an objective presentation of the history of both peoples in school textbooks was discussed
Professor Sergey Ignatov emphasised the importance of the Bolhrad Gymnasium for preserving the national identity of the Bulgarian minority in Ukraine. The signed Protocol is the only educational document adopted during the visit of the Bulgarian delegation.
The agreements reached by representatives of the two countries form a solid foundation for the systematic development of bilateral cooperation in the future. The implementation of the Protocol’s provisions will contribute not only to supporting the Bulgarian community in Ukraine, but also to expanding educational and scientific ties, which in the long term will strengthen humanitarian partnership between the two states.
