Bulgarian Empire

Chapter 18: Education

The cabinet meeting ended well, and Ferdinand was satisfied with the split of power. He got to monitor the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education.

Compared to other sectors, the cabinet did not pay enough attention to agriculture. The plans that were made rarely involved the development of agriculture. It gave Ferdinand the excuse to take full advantage of it.

The Ministry of Education is even simpler. The Bulgarian treasury has no money. The most severe attacks on the government now and the opposition are the education sector. The salary of teachers has been suspended for several months.

Since Ferdinand is willing to take over this role, they naturally do not mind throwing away a mess. Anyway, funds for education are still in debt.

Ferdinand took two hot potatoes, but his heart was happy.

Bulgaria is an agricultural country with poor mineral resources. The easiest thing to do in the short term is agriculture.

Compared to China's use of land, Bulgaria is too far from European countries. If the area of arable land is in East Bulgaria, it could be enlarged twice.

Of course, Ferdinand did not intend to do that. It is entirely unnecessary. An area comparable to Jiangsu province, it now has just over three million people. It is less than one-tenth of the population of Jiangsu during the same period.

Ferdinand planned to build an irrigation system greatly, promote modern agricultural technology, and increase grain production, which would be enough. (The agricultural development in the Balkans was poor, and the yield of grain per acre in the same period was less than two-thirds of that in Western Europe.)

As long as he did this well and obtained the support of the peasant class, which made up nine-fold of the total population, he would be standing firm. For this reason, Ferdinand would not hesitate to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds.

As for the education sector, that's even better. History tells Ferdinand that if you control the schools, you control public opinion. By controlling the country's next-generation, you control the future of that country.

It was urgent to found a university. The first Bulgarian university in history - Sofia University - was established in 1888.

The same university gave birth to the first socialist-scientific society in Bulgaria, which laid the foundation for setting off the proletarian revolution.

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Ferdinand's efficiency was enough to make the cabinet sweat. He knew that the treasury had no money, nor did he go to the Stambolov cabinet.

On January 10, 1888, just after the cabinet had settled on the split of power, Ferdinand, in his capacity as Knyaz of Bulgaria, issued a second decree "An Education Bond Roll of 5 million Leva" (Remark: 1 Leva = 1 franc = 0.2903225 grams of gold)

The country was shocked to know that Bulgaria's revenue in 1887 was less than 40 million Leva due to the civil war.

This move was quickly supported by the educated and enlightened capitalist. Even though the interest rate was only slightly higher than bank deposits and the term was as long as ten years, everyone gave their money generously, and half of them were sold out in just one month.

The shrewd Ferdinand, of course, knew to maximize the benefits. He not only bought a high-profile purchase of 300,000 Leva, but he also publicly invited the media to monitor the use of this fee. He gained a lot of prestige over time.

Anyway, he does not intend to withhold education funds. If the media monitors the situation more strictly, the bad luck is only for the people who are at the bottom. If he could catch a few assholes, he wouldn't mind.

He gained the money to pay the teachers' salaries, which is owed for the past years. Then he allocated the funds for the construction of the first Bulgarian university - The University of Bulgaria.

The rest of the money is still untouched. The cabinet tried to make a move several times, but Ferdinand's phrase of special funding stopped it.

Being poor, Stambolov also followed Ferdinand's example and issued debt papers. But his appetite is not as small as Ferdinand, and the Five Year Plan requires funding that could be astronomical for the government.

The first issue was a 50 million Leva railroad bond, followed by a 30 million Leva industrial bond.

Bulgarians are not that rich, and the government's prestige is not that high. For a few million education bonds, they grit their teeth and take it in the spirit of patriotism.

For the government-issued industrial debt papers, railroad debt papers will not be able to do anything. It sold a few hundred thousand embarrassments.

Ferdinand did not worry about the cabinet's troubles as he is still worried about the university's first rector. He must be highly respected and credible to the education community.

Among the Bulgarian educational community, there are precisely no candidates who are expected. Like the country, most of the competent overseas students are still young and do not have that experience. The older generation is conservative-minded and lacks the international perspective to keep up with the times.

Ferdinand, who could not really find a candidate, turned his attention to the Ministry of Education.

"Minister Chekhov, does your Ministry of Education have in mind for the rector of the University of Bulgaria?" asked Ferdinand.

"Your Highness, the education community is now in full arguments. There are three people who are qualified to be nominated, but their abilities are hardly credible!" Minister of Education Chekhov said with a headache.

Ferdinand was clear that the lack of ability was still a minor problem. However, the key was that all three of them were opponents of Stambolov's cabinet. The old educators are part of the pro-Russian faction. The cabinet is trying to prevent them from coming to power.

"What about the others? We have to find a suitable candidate and we can't drag on like this and the university is currently just another ghost town! When you get there, you should go back and think slowly!" Ferdinand dumped the pressure on Chekhov.

It was difficult for Chekhov. If he chose from these three, how could he explain to the cabinet? If he chose someone else, how could he convince the education community?

The headache Chekhov suddenly has a bright light in front of his eyes. He thought of a suitable candidate, to let the monarch put up the job and leave it. Once this idea came out, they could no longer fight.

First of all, the cabinet will not oppose. It can silence the opposition. Second, the education sector also responsible for the past, at least no worries about future education funds. This reason is enough to make the three old stubborn themselves to withdraw.

On the way back, Chekhov was thinking about the better. If Ferdinand became the university's rector, then it will greatly increase the presence of the Ministry of Education. If he wants to fund it, he can also let the monarch cover it without bearing the pressure of the cabinet.

No, it's not something Chekhov can do alone. Why doesn't he just contact the education community and let them take the lead? Whoever opposes it, let him be responsible for settling the education funding!

It did not surprise Chekhov that after the release of the news, the endless debates in the educational community immediately stopped.

For the benefit of all, or for the sake of their own salaries, which they can receive on time, almost all teachers have publicly expressed their support for Ferdinand as rector.

Ferdinand was stunned. He was the one who was expected. At that moment, he thought it was impossible that he, an outsider, who had been on the throne for only six months and had done nothing significant, could gain the support of the people.

Even if Chekhov said repeatedly, it could not convince Ferdinand. He did not want to be a rector and then be scolded by that group of educators.

"Karl, please send someone to find out what's going on?" Ferdinand was still determined to get a clear picture of the situation.

"Well, Your Highness, it's really quite simple!" Karl said calmly.

"Oh, would you like to tell me about it?" Ferdinand asked.