BULGARIA: NEW EDUCATION MINISTER APPOINTED

UNCLAS SOFIA 000665 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EFIN ECON KIPR KJUS BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA: NEW EDUCATION MINISTER APPOINTED REF: SOFIA 652 ¶1. (SBU) Prime Minister Boiko Borissov appointed Sergey Ignatov as Minister of Education, Youth and Science on November 17 after the previous minister, Yordanka Fandakova, was elected mayor of Sofia. Contacts tell us he learned of his appointment minutes prior to the Prime Minister's announcement in Parliament. A surprised Ignatov immediately accepted the nomination. ¶2. (SBU) Ignatov, 49, holds a PhD in Egyptology and was the rector of New Bulgarian University in Sofia (2002-2009) and director of its Institute of Egyptology (2006-2009) prior to taking the job of Deputy Education Minister in the Borissov government. Ignatov calls himself a "modern reformer." He is a tough critic of state universities, calling their rectors "old" and their management style "conservative." Ignatov has strong opinions on the quality of Bulgarian education and science. He calls Bulgarian education old-fashioned and "Soviet": focused on lectures, not on the students. He is reportedly adored by students. His lectures were normally over-subscribed, with students from outside universities clammoring for seats. Following in Fandakova's footsteps, one of Ignatov's priorities will be to modernize curriculum, instruction, and the education system. He also shares Fandakova's vision that the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is 20 years behind the times and needs serious reform and modernization. SUTTON