in which professional and general education would be
fused. Specialization in liberal arts, mathematics and economics,
chemistry and biology, social sciences, and foreign languages would be
offered.

In 1972 these reforms were officially proposed and passed by the Council
of Ministers. It was anticipated that they would be carried out over the
next ten to fifteen years. Although the concept of fusing general and
professional education in the new unified secondary polytechnic school
was not universally popular, the reform embodying this concept was
passed primarily because of the influence of one of its strongest
proponents, Zhivkov.

Other reforms proposed in 1972 dealt with the specific levels of the
educational system and with monetary necessities to fulfill these
expectations. As it was expected that by 1975 approximately 76 percent
of children from three to seven years of age would be in kindergartens,
the Sixth Five-Year Plan (1971-75) emphasized the development of a huge
network of kindergartens. By 1975, 85 percent of the students attending
primary school were expected to go on to the secondary level, and plans
were made to increase the construction of boarding and semiboarding
schools to accommodate these students. Secondary education was to be
made compulsory in order, in Zhivkov's words, "to give every young man
and girl the opportunity not only of acquiring scientific knowledge of
nature and society and the necessary general culture and polytechnical
education, but also of acquiring certain production and technical habits
and skills, of preparing themselves for socially useful work."

The main emphasis in the 1972 reforms, however, was on higher education.
It was anticipated that there would be some 120,000 students in higher
education by 1975. Of this number it was expected that 65,000--or
approximately half--would be specialists. Of the 65,000 specialists,
half would be engaged in science and technology. Therefore, in 1972
plans were being formulated for the construction of new buildings at
many of the major institutions of higher education.

In order to fulfill these structural changes, it was decided that both
increased expenditures and additional places for students were needed.
During the Fifth Five-Year Plan (1966-70), about 300 million leva (for
value of the lev--see Glossary) had been expended on education. In the
Sixth Five-Year Plan (1971-75) 500 million leva were to be allocated. In
addition,