University lecturers and scientists have objected to plans for a single school textbook each in history and civilisations, Bulgarian language and literature, and geography and economics. They set out their position today at a news conference at the BTA National Press Club.

They asked Prime Minister Rumen Radev to rethink his plan for a single history textbook. They were responding to Radev's remarks on 15 September this year about introducing one textbook for the three subjects.

Sofia University's Faculty of History ("St Kliment Ohridski") organised the news conference. Academician Prof. Ivan Ilchev, Prof. Veselin Yanchev and Assoc. Prof. Svetoslav Zhivkov of the faculty spoke, as did its dean, Prof. Mira Markova, and Prof. Amelia Licheva, dean of the Faculty of Slavic Studies. Prof. Milko Palangurski of the Institute for Historical Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and the writer Zahari Karabashliev also took part.

It all began with open letters from the Faculty of History, the Faculty of Slavic Studies and the Faculty of Geology and Geography at Sofia University. Lecturers and scientists from other universities and from BAS then joined in. Prof. Licheva read out the letter from the Slavic studies scholars, which other lecturers and writers have backed. Prof. Markova read out the letter against a single geography and economics textbook, written by Prof. Kliment Naydenov, dean of the Faculty of Geology and Geography, and other lecturers.

Academician Ilchev warned that "introducing a single textbook will be the first step towards dictatorship".

Prof. Palangurski, who spoke for the BAS historians, said that "imposing one textbook means political censorship and the teacher becomes a silent letter". He believes the plan targets the subjects that shape civic thinking.

Prof. Markova said educational pluralism is the standard in most European countries: a free market in which teachers choose between approved textbooks from different publishers. A single history textbook exists mostly in countries with undemocratic systems, such as Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Belarus, she said. She does not believe that having more than one "History and Civilisations" textbook is among the causes of the problems in education.

Speakers also gave examples at the news conference. France has six leading textbook publishers and Spain has four big ones. Italy has no central approval of teaching materials, and about five or six publishing groups lead the market. Poland always has at least three or four approved textbooks.

Prof. Licheva said only people who want to bring back dictatorship and ideology in education can defend the idea of a single textbook. She believes a single literature textbook sharply limits the right to grow up as a citizen. She said it imposes an outdated doctrine of conformity, of banned and permitted literature, of clichéd models and interpretations. In her view, moving to one textbook returns the system to a restrictive regime typical of undemocratic societies. Her faculty has been calling for a change in how literature is taught in schools for several years. The letter from the Slavic studies scholars also says a single textbook undermines trust in the teacher, because teachers know their pupils, their level and their needs.

Prof. Yanchev said the aim is for pupils to get a standardised picture of Bulgaria and the world.

Karabashliev noted that the idea is not a Bulgarian invention. Russia has had a single state history textbook since 2023, will have one for Russian language and literature from 2027, and one for geography by 2028. In China, textbooks for Chinese language, history and political education have been unified since 2019, and Vietnam has had a single textbook for all subjects since this school year. The writer said Greece had one textbook for those subjects until this year and is now going back to more than one, and that its experience there ended in failure.

Karabashliev writes books on historical themes, has school-age children and is editor-in-chief at a publishing house that does not publish textbooks. He said every reform must answer two questions: why it is needed now, and what evidence there is that it will meet specific educational needs.

Assoc. Prof. Zhivkov explained that there can be two, three, five or ten textbooks, but a class uses only one. All are made under a single curriculum with compulsory topics in every textbook.

Bulgarian language and literature has two curricula, combined into one subject, and separate textbooks are made for each.