"Education Beyond Borders" exhibition opens in Bulgaria

The fifth international exhibition "Education Beyond Borders" opened here on Friday, bringing together representatives of secondary schools and universities from 18 countries. Information about more than 1,500 bachelor and 1,000 master programs in foreign and Bulgarian universities will be presented during the three-day exhibition that takes place at the Bulgarian National Palace of Culture. The opening ceremony was attended by dozens of Bulgarian officials and senior foreign diplomats. "Marked interest over the years to this exhibition by students is an evidence for the deepening of the European and global cooperation in education and cultural exchange, in accordance with the objectives set for us in globalization and the latest trends in education," Tanya Mihaylova, Director of the Diplomatic Institute, said on behalf of the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov addressing the event. Mihaylova added that she was confident that this exhibition would provide opportunities for expanding the prospects for the young Bulgarian generation. Bulgarian students at Sofia University Daniela and Victoria told Xinhua that this was their first visit to the exhibition, as they wanted to learn more information on master programs in English abroad. Ng Foong Yeewas from Japan attended the exhibition as a representative of Tokyo Riverside School. Though they still have no Bulgarian students registered, she said her school would try to attract them. In turn, Tanya Ivancheva, a Bulgarian who came as a student representative of the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt in Austria told Xinhua that she loved Bulgaria, but education abroad is at a much higher level. She said her mother takes her education costs, which is not as expensive as she thought at first. According to Ivancheva, the price is affordable, as the dorm rent is 250 euros (345 U.S. dollars) per month, and the tuition fee is 360 euro (497 dollars) is the cost of tuition per semester. "Prices in private universities in Bulgaria are almost the same, but the education in my university is very nice, and the educational level of Austria is very high," she said.