16.09.2024

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL RECOMMENDS PROMOTING LIFELONG LEARNING

Measures to readjust education towards applicability of knowledge are recommended by the Economic and Social Council in a report on the topic: "Inequalities in education and their impact on the labor market in Bulgaria. Solutions for readjustment of the educational system towards applicability of knowledge and formation of social skills".

The document was developed at the proposal of the presidency, reports the press center of the Economic and Social Council. The Council recommends promoting lifelong learning and the adoption of a new law to regulate and guarantee the acquisition of the so-called soft skills that include social skills and key competencies.

The report's findings state that there are disparities in student preparation. There is also a significant difference in the prestige of individual schools, and one of the main reasons for the latter is the conviction of students and parents in the different quality and level of teaching, the Economic and Social Council points out. It also takes into account the presence of educational inequalities, which are due to both income inequalities and other factors - ethnicity and the socio-economic level of the students' families.

In Bulgaria, more than 16,000 children live in villages without kindergartens, which greatly hinders their access to education and early childhood care, the analysis also states. There is a lack of a nationally accepted mechanism for long-term planning by municipalities of service needs. The situation is most critical in Pazardzhik (with 9.9% availability of nursery places), Sliven (10.1%) and Kardzhali and Vidin (14.2%).

The data in the analysis also show that 85.5% of students aged 5 years are enrolled in preschool or school education, which is below the average level for the European Union - 96.3%. This ranks us among the ten countries with the worst performance according to the indicator in the Union, according to the experts of the Council.

Early school leaving continues to be particularly high in rural areas and among the Roma. Students dropping out before the end of the academic year reaches 30% in villages and over 15% in small towns. Last year's data show that 35% of Bulgarians between the ages of 30-34 have completed higher education, which is nearly 10 percentage points behind the EU average, the Economic and Social Council notes.

The need to set aside financial resources to provide scholarships for students in majors recognized as important to the normal state of the labor market and the functioning of various industries is also considered.

"We are in one of the last places in the EU in terms of the relative share of young people (18-34) who neither study nor work - in 23rd place out of 27, the Council also points out. The report also emphasizes that 75% of employers in our country encounter difficulties in finding employees due to a lack of key competencies such as initiative and entrepreneurship, digital abilities, etc.