site.btaEducation in Bulgaria Has Yet to Attain Functional Literacy and Adequte Skills among Students - Analysis

The quality of education in Bulgaria is questionable and it has yet to attain functional literacy among students and skills that are adequate to the demand on the labour market. This is part of the conclusion of a study conducted by the Institute for Market Economics (IME) with guidelines for reforms in education, presented on Wednesday at a discussion organised by the Bulgarian Employers' Association Innovative Technologies - (BRAIT), in which the role of education and skills as a potential for economic growth.

It discussed the role of education and skills as a potential for economic growth.

In terms of workforce and demography, the study reports that the Bulgarian population aged 20 to 69 is expected to shrink by 800,000 people in the next 25 years, which is also linked to a change in the profile of the working population. The economy is readjusting to work with a workforce that is older and in need of retraining - over 25% of all employees in 2023 are over 55, for the first time employees over 55 outnumber those under 34. IME senior researcher Peter Ganev at the presentation of the study elaborated that it is expected that young people aged between 20 and 29 will change jobs the most, they will also most likely change the field they work in at least once, and digital skills will be crucial in this process.

According to the data, over the last 20 years real productivity in services has been growing at an average annual rate of 2.8% and in industry at 2.3%. In 2023, the average value added per employee in industry is 12.8% higher than in 2015 and in services by 20.3%, but this growth cannot continue in the long term without human capital development, the study says.

It also points out that over the past two decades, the PISA results demonstrate the stagnation of the Bulgarian school education system, with the last three editions of the survey showing that Bulgarian students' performance is deteriorating in all three subjects - reading, mathematics and science. The results show a lag behind the OECD average and good examples from Central and Eastern Europe, Ganev summarized and stressed the importance of increasing functional literacy and skills acquisition of students in the process of education. "The problem in education is everywhere and needs policies, which can solve it", Ganev noted. The study acknowledges the problem of large numbers of students and schools falling behind. Ganev elaborated on the risks, posed by the large number of students not finishing their studies and the lack of consistent state policy to mitigate it.

The study shows a persistent lack of interest towards mathematics, which is a challenge for the digitization process. It also notes the gradual improvement of the average results on external mathematics assessment.

According to the study, nearly half of secondary school graduates have acquired a job qualification - more than 45% in 2023, and they form one third of the workforce in the country. The study shows that the economic activity of people with primary and lower education is about 40%, 76-80% of those with secondary and vocational education, and over 90% of graduates.

It is also reported that in 15 of the 20 professions with the highest expected demand on the labour market, the professional education system currently prepares very few staff - 0.3%, and that only 8% of those starting secondary professional education are in dual training.

The study reports that higher education provides consistently higher employment. The employment gap between graduates and non-graduates is quite large. The employment rate among graduates is over 90%; their unemployment rate is consistently below 2%. University graduates also have much higher wages. By 2022, the average salary of those with a university degree is approaching BGN 2,500, while for those without a university degree it is BGN 1,200. The salary in higher education is gradually rising, exceeding 100% in 2022. The study also reports a trend towards fewer high-paid jobs opening for people with secondary education and those for people with primary and lower education disappearing.

Caretaker Deputy Minister of Education and Science Tanya Mihailova, who took part in the discussion, noted that all the problems of other sectors, demography, quality of life are focused on education, which is the foundation of national security.

The point of increasing teachers' salaries is not to look at their remuneration, it is the tool to attract young ambitious staff to enter the education system, Mihailova added. In her words, Bulgaria needs a lot of young people who are not shy to be dedicated to their work and captivate students.

Caretaker Deputy Minister of Education and Science Natalia Miteva, who was also present at the presentation of the study, noted that one of the strategic directions in which work is being done is on the overall change in curricula. "The reality is that not only do we need to remove the volume of knowledge and open up space for skills, competencies, life skills, but we need to support teachers to be able to develop these because with the momentum they have, they will continue to teach basic knowledge and test on it", Miteva explained, adding that a necessity for an overall change in the mindset of teachers via targeted training and investment in being able to create a learning experience for students that is qualitatively different is present.