University of Applied Sciences, Fulda

Eastern Europe

Bulgaria

Part One

Bulgaria, though considered a European country, is a great extent closer to Middle-East cultures than to typically Western ones. One of the reasons, maybe, is the rule of the Ottoman Turks in Bulgaria for 500 years. There is, therefore, a large power distance resulting in a separation of those in power from lower ranks. Furthermore, under the influence of Asian countries, Bulgaria is high-context, that is, one gets information, solves the problems and moves in the society by relying on one’s connections. The interviewee from Bulgaria comments on the educational system as follows: ". . . education, well, I can say, they are strict, rules for education. What I mean, for example, a very simple example, you have to visit some lectures. That’s the point, you have to visit. And when you go there, you are checked in a way if you’re present . . ."[emphasis added by the writer]
The individual responsibility is therefore: "I can say that the personal responsibility of the student is limited, I mean, you have to go there, you have to do this, you have to do homework, you have to take an exam, and you don’t have the choice. . . . so everything is strictly, strictly, prescribed . . . "
Such a "strict" system will most probably stiffen the relationship between the students and the professors. "Usually we don’t have personal contact with the professors," says the student from Bulgaria. "I mean, maybe I don’t know, because of the fact also that this professor has a lecture with 150 students . . . he is overloaded." In addition to the cultural factors which can influence the relationship, the workload of the professors in the former Eastern bloc countries has been mentioned as a factor explaining the limited relationship between the students and the teaching staff. "Yes, there are office hours, once a week for example, one hour or two hours. But for this time when you go there, there are 40 students waiting. . . . establishing contact with the professor is an exception for the students. . . . so if you have a problem, it’s your own problem."
In Bulgaria, like many other former Eastern bloc countries, the system is constantly changing. This fact and the fact that Bulgaria is a high-context country force the students to rely on their own web of relations for help and information. ". . . the system unfortunately that I don’t like it much but it is the problem of my country, they are changing the system constantly . . . so it’s very important to know the rules of the game, because they are constantly changing and sometimes you are out, because of the rules . . . you have to be very well-informed, and it is very difficult to receive information, ha, ha. Well, you have to go and ask, to go and ask, . . . yes exactly, but you can do it, it is not important, you have to find some colleagues that are so called your friends that they can also give you information, because you can not spend all the time . . ."
The facilities offered by the university are not of much use. The reason, naturally, is the economic conditions of the country. Moreover, help is not offered by the university because the students can somehow solve their problems using their own networks. ". . . in reality I can say no [help and services]. There is a library, but the books are so old. There is one computer room for the whole university, but the computer room, I mean, the university is how many - I think 20,000. Well, it is not possible to get some access to the computers or something like this . . . so you have to do it on your own. If you want to do something, you have to do it on your own."