CSD:Public Forum Education and Anticorruption


	CSD.bg

Public Forum Education and Anticorruption

On 18 January, 2005 Coalition 2000 organized a Public Forum Education and Anticorruption at the Boyana Conference Center in Sofia. The Forum attract more than 100 representatives from: the Ministry of Science and Education, parliamentary and governmental anticorruption committees, academic institutions, donor and employer organizations, NGOs and media involved in the adoption and implementation of anticorruption policies and training in the Bulgarian secondary schools and universities.

The discussions focused on two major topics: Anticorruption activities in the educational system: current status, problems and best practices and Introduction of anticorruption education in the Bulgarian secondary school.

The Forum was opened by Dr. Ognian Shentov, Chair of the Board, Center for Study of Democracy. In his opening remarks, Dr. Shentov underlined the fact that anticorruption education is one of the most important priorities in the work of Coalition 2000, which is implemented in close cooperation with other NGOs, academic institutions, teachers, as well as representatives of public institutions. Dr. Shentov also mentioned the major achievements of the Coalition in this field in 2004 and presented a Concept Paper developed by a working group of experts from different organizations and institutions with recommendations on the major activities to be undertaken towards the introduction of anticorruption education targeted at students from first to twelve grades.

Prof. Kamen Velev, a Deputy Minister, Ministry of Science and Education delivered a welcome speech to the participants in the Forum on behalf of the Minister of Science and Education, dr. Igor Damyanov. In his speech, prof. Velev emphasized the fact that the introduction of anticorruption education in the secondary and higher education institutions was a fundamental step towards building an active citizen position among the young people. Prof. Velev also stated that as till the present moment, the Ministry of Science and Education will continue to rely on the support extended by school boards, student and professional associations and NGOs for restricting corruption practices in the educational sphere.

Mrs. Debra McFarland, Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development also delivered a welcome speech to the participants in the Forum. In her address, Mrs. McFarland underlined that the Bulgarian school already has demonstrated to have a great potential for disseminating the principles of good governance and rule of law by means of introducing courses on anticorruption topics and implementation of other forms of anticorruption education. Mrs. McFarland also made recommendations to the Ministry of Science and Education to adopt national educational standards and programs for teaching anticorruption as part of the academic program in civic education at the secondary school, as well as to facilitate the introduction of such courses in the universities in order to prepare competent instructors, psychologists and social workers.

Mrs. Kirilka Misheva, Chief Auditor at the National Audit Office (NAO) presented a report The National Audit Office and Anticorruption Activities in the Education. Mrs. Misheva acquainted the participants in the Forum with the activities of the NAO as she put an emphasis on the results and analyses of audits conducted in the state universities during 2004 and identified risk factors and possible sources of corruption. Some of those factors and sources included: awarding of contracts on public tenders; leasing or renting university real estate property; usage of student dormitories; contracting private firms for a joint delivery of educational services; enrollment and transfer of students between universities and between faculties; improper opening of centers / branches for “extended”/”of-site” education; collecting of fees and taxes unregulated by the Law for Higher Education.

During the Forum were presented the results and good practices achieved through anticorruption education projects and sociological surveys of Coalition 2000 and partner organizations within the framework of the Civil Society Against Corruption Program during 2003 and 2004.

During the discussions were announced concrete measures undertaken by different universities in Bulgaria to restrict sources of corruption. Prof. Dobrinka Temniskova, a botanist, elected as the first academic ombudsman of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in November, 2004, presented a short report of her initial experience at that position in resolving disputes and answering complaints from professors and students. Prof. Temniskova also expressed an opinion that there was a need for changes in the Law on Higher Education, which would allow stricter administrative sanctions in cases of corruption and embezzlements at the universities, as well as a need for the adoption of stricter criteria for accreditation of higher education institutions, which would help to reduce the number of illegitimate universities.

Associate prof. Lyudmil Georgiev, a Deputy Dean of the New Bulgarian University presented the good practices of his university achieved in such important areas of the academic life as: enrollment, evaluation of students and professors and obtaining a degree. Some of those practices included: introduction of an ethical code of the professors; usage of on-line information system for on-going grading of students (i.e. each student can check his/her grades on-line at any point of time); publicly announced criteria for student grading on the different subjects (on the university web page); annual evaluation of professors; adoption of official rules and procedures for submitting complaints for corruption and/or other types of misuse in each faculty.

Mr. Konstantin Palikarski, a Secretary of the governmental Committee for Coordination of the Activities for Combating Corruption presented a report on the activities undertaken by the government to restrict the cases of corruption in the state and local administration. Some of those measures included: adoption of ethical codes of the civil servants; organizing information seminars on anticorruption topics for civil servants in the state administration; creation of regional anticorruption councils . By the end of 2004 such councils already function as consultative organs to the administration of the district governors in most of the district centers in Bulgaria.

CSD.bg

Page top

The web page you are trying to reach is no longer updated and has been archived.
To visit us, please click here.