site.btaVP Iotova Opens School Year at Oldest Bulgarian School Abroad
Vice President Iliana Iotova Monday opened the school year at the St. Cyril and St. Methodius Theoretical Lyceum in Dudestii Vechi (Star Bisnov), Romania, which is the oldest school founded by Bulgarians abroad. The ceremony began with the national anthems of Bulgaria, Romania, and the European Union.
“Our school was founded exactly 280 years ago, as soon as our ancestors settled in these lands,” said the lyceum’s director, Petru Topchov. “The first teacher was Nikola Yorkovich. In 2005–2006, by order of the Minister of Education, the school was named after Cyril and Methodius to reinforce its connection to Bulgaria,” he added.
In her address, Vice President Iotova said: “Today is a day to honour our ancestors, who preserved the Bulgarian identity, language, traditions, and customs.” She extended her gratitude to the Romanian State at all levels for its continuous support of minority communities, and especially the Bulgarian one.
“Bulgarians carry knowledge and literacy in their very genes. Education and faith, the school and the church are major pillars,” she said. Iotova recalled how, after the failed Chiprovtsi Uprising, the first thing Bulgarian refugees did upon arriving in Banat was build a church.
The Vice President also praised Georgi Nakov, the representative of the Bulgarian minority in the Romanian Parliament, for his efforts to preserve Bulgarian identity, language and traditions. Addressing the school’s director, she said that this is a shining example of what a multilingual school should be. “A school that can be described as a true European school,” Iotova added and presented him with an honorary plaquette.
Dudestii Vechi Mayor Bono Cucalan spoke of the school’s recent renovation. “We have invested six million in our educational infrastructure. I believe this is one of the municipalities with the highest per-capita investment in education,” he said.
Vice President of the Timis County Council Alexandru Adrian Iovescu said that the school is expected to receive an electric minibus next week.
Georgi Nakov said that following discussions with the chief school inspector, a new class taught entirely in Bulgarian will soon be introduced.
“This is the oldest Bulgarian school in the world. It is the only one where Bulgarian is taught from preschool to 12th grade. Even non-Bulgarian students study Bulgarian,” he said, thanking the Romanian State for its support.
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