Postbank invests over 275,000 BGN in A-grade students in Bulgaria

100 of the brightest students will receive scholarships from High Start with Postbank in 2009

At a special press conference today, Postbank CEO Anthony Hassiotis and Deputy Minister of Education and Science Vania Dobreva jointly launched the 2009 High Start with Postbank program dedicated to supporting secondary education in the country. The event was organized on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the program as the first private initiative to support secondary education in the country which traditionally takes place under the auspices of the Minister of Education and Science. So far Postbank has invested over 275,000 BGN in the A-graders of Bulgaria within the framework of this initiative.

During 2009, 100 eighth-graders will be awarded a total of 50,000 BGN in the framework of the program. This year's edition of the High Start with Postbank program was launched with the official opening of an anniversary photo exhibition in front of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. The exhibition is hosted by Sofia Municipality which kindly supports the financial institution in its celebration of the anniversary of High Start with Postbank.

"We believe that there are many ambitious and talented young people in Bulgaria. It is also our duty to encourage them. Their extraordinary achievements should be recognised and supported not only by their parents and their teachers but by all of us - institutions, companies and society as a whole. And hopefully our program will make them more confident, more willing to pursue a higher level of education and excel," Mr. Hassiotis said at the press conference.

Mr. Hassiotis expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Education and Science for its support and cooperation over the past years. He emphasized that the joint efforts of the teams of Postbank and the Ministry of Education and Science have led to the success of the High Start program which has become equally supported by students, their parents, the representatives of public institutions and the general public, and sets an example of the fruitful cooperation between the public and private sectors.

The High Start with Postbank program dates back to 2005 and stems from the unconditional belief of Postbank that knowledge, discipline and diligence are key prerequisites for successful personal and professional growth in today's society. Every year the High Start with Postbank program awards some of the brightest eighth-graders from Bulgarian specialized language schools and specialized classes in secondary schools. Postbank scholarships are awarded based on the eighth-graders' results at the external evaluation test conducted by the Ministry of Education and Science in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian and Italian Languages at the end of the eighth grade. The students with the highest achievements are automatically included in a consolidated ranking procedure that includes the six most popular foreign languages studied in Bulgaria, and the top 100 students are awarded one-time scholarships of 500 BGN and a certificate.

For additional information:
Iliana Zaharieva, Head of Corporate Communications, Postbank

Contact: + 359 2 8166 100    
Email: IZZaharieva@postbank.bg