that study of the Bulgarian language was
compulsory, teaching was performed in the language of the minority
group. All schools of general education became officially coeducational,
and evening classes for workers were initiated. At the same time,
although there already had been some financial assistance, scholarships
were presented on a wide scale. In the 1957-58 academic year 46 percent
of all students in institutions of higher education received stipends
from the government. Although there were few scholarships given to
gymnasium students, with the exception of Turkish students who were
considered the least educated group, students in professional schools
and technical colleges were the recipients of a large number of
governmental stipends.

The reforms of 1959 were of more lasting significance than were the
1957-58 reforms. Unlike the latter reforms, which represented a slight
deviation from the Soviet educational model, the 1959 reforms returned
the Bulgarian system once more to the original Soviet pattern. In 1958
Nikita Khrushchev wrote a treatise called "Strengthening the Ties
Between School and Life" in which he demanded a close integration of the
educational system and the economy. Shortly thereafter, Zhivkov declared
that the 1957-58 school reforms in his own country were inadequate and
asked for a basic reorganization of the entire school system. In July
1959 a basic law, reorganizing the entire school system, was passed.

This law was entitled "Law on Establishing a Closer Link Between
Education and Practical Life and on Furthering the Development of Public
Education in the People's Republic of Bulgaria." Its stated objectives
were: "To prepare youth for life by combining education and instruction
with practical and production work" and "to imbue the young people with
a love of work and a spirit of patriotism and international solidarity."
The law proposed the introduction of polytechnic studies on an
unprecedented scale in order to provide skilled workers for agriculture
and industry. Although the main objective was to meet the demands of the
economy, it was hoped that the new emphasis on technical subjects would
break down the exclusiveness of the educated classes, while socializing
the younger generation in communist ideological terms.

In practical terms the 1959 reforms introduced a unified twelve-year
so-called secondary school--despite the fact that it included the
elementary grades as well--called