The Bulgarian Educational Politics in Vardar Macedonia, 1941 - 1944, Spas Tashev

6. Educational staff in Vardar Macedonia

The background of the Bulgarian educational staff in Macedonia during 1941-44 rises special interest: the Skopie history writers present them as "people implementing denationalization polices". In April - May 1941 in the region there were 120 Bulgarian teachers who survived from the pre-1913 period. In 1941 addition there were 529 ethnic Bulgarian teachers who served in the Yugoslavian school system only. Of these, 427 were re-appointed in Macedonia, while 102 were sent in Bulgaria proper to teach there for one year.

Since 2 035 teachers were needed for Vardar Macedonia for the school year 1941/42, the majority of them (1 508) were sent from the Bulgaria proper and only 527 were locals. However, the bulk of the newcomers were either from the Bulgarian (Pirin) Macedonia or were refugees from other parts of Macedonia. Both chief district school inspectors were born in Macedonia: The Skopie one was Hristo Zografov (born in Veles) and the Bitola one was Kosta Tzarnushanov (born in Prilep). On the basis of this information the Interior Minister Petar Gabrovski declared in the National Assembly that employees of Macedonian origin were 75 % of the total number of the civil servants in Macedonia [49]. Hence, the current Skopie assertions of some 'denationalisation' executed by the 'outside Bulgarian' teachers rest on doubtful basis.

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49. Bulgarian South , issue 27, Siar 1942.