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On the occasion of the start of the school year, we are raising the curtain slightly on the “Education” category of the upcoming edition of Regional Profiles: Development Indicators 2023 (which will be presented in the month of November).

The category is made up of eight indicators in the field of education and include data at the district level from NSI, MOS, CoAPSE, IME.

• The capital, Varna, and Smolyan are approved leaders among the districts.

In 2023, the capital was at the top of the classification, followed by Varna and Smolyan districts. In all three districts, there are almost no children who don’t attend kindergarten or school. There are a few second-year students, a lot of students, and the results are good.

The first ones are complemented by traditionally strong ones in education: Ruse, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Blagoevgrad, Gabrovo, and Burgas.

But at the bottom of the classification are Sliven, Lovech, and Pazardzhik, where the availability of kindergarten and pre-gymnasium education is low, the results are fairly weak, and there are relatively few students.

Although the research in Regional Profiles includes other indicators such as children in kindergarten and the number of students, here we focus on the main indicators that assess school education.

• In some districts, the percentage of children who don't attend school after the 4th grade is still high.

While in some districts, the educational system in the pre-gymnasium stage covers almost all children of relative age (such as in Smolyan, Blagoevgrad, and the capital), in others, the net coefficient of enrollment in 5th-7th grade remains low over the years. In 2022, it was under 85% in Sliven, Dobrich, and Targovishte districts.

• The mathematical abilities of 7^th grade in these districts are diverged significantly.

The average score on National External Evaluation after the 7^th grade at Math from the country is 35,3 points (from 100 points scale) and is absolutely equal to the last year one. Again, the students in capital performed as the best one with 46,6 point result. After the capital are followed Varna (42,6 points), Smolyan (37,6 points) and Burgas (37,2 points) districts. At the bottom of ranking with 25-26 points are the results of Sliven, Vidin and Razgrad. These huge differences between leaders and these one with lowest marks are result of concentration the qualitatively studying of math in a real little number of schools in the country, usually in largest district centres, where are more children, higher competition between educational institutes and more resources. The required score for admission into vocational school of math is diverged in times between distinctive districts. The tracking of data from last year about admission in classes with “Math” profile from this year shows that amid the capital and Plovdiv district for example the difference is 3,6 times.

• The professional education does not correspond to the structure of local economy.

The main role and advantage of professional education is to provide a direct connection between  the education and the labour market. The elaborated by IME “Index of the correspondence between vocational education and the profile of the economy” reveals that studying at specialities, which are not searched by the labour market, proceed and nearly half of students, acquired their qualification, will not work with for what they have studied. Between separate regions there are also large differences. With the highest outcome is the capital - 67,3 points (from 100 p. max), and with the lowest - Lovech district - 36,4 p. The first place is for Sofia (capital) which is conditioned by high part of students at PPQ, as and employed at ICT segment, and together with it - lowest portion of students and employed in agriculture. The capital safes the first place from the last edition of index. The last place is for Lovech is due to that is the region with highest part of  learners in specialities, which are directed to segment of hospitality industry and restaurant business (almost twice the average share in the country) with relatively low share of those employed in this economic activity in the region.

• The results of matriculation examinations of Bulgarian language are going down, and the weakest performers are getting worse.

The average score for state matriculation exam of “Bulgarian language and literature” in 2023 year is “Good” 3,93, a decrease of four hundredths lower than last year and far away from average values of previous years, when it is about “Good” 4,20. The only ones, who this year have result above “Good” 4,00 were the capital (4,24) and Smolyan (4,09). The seniors from Shumen ( “Intermediate“ 3,43), Razgrad and Pleven are performed in the weakest way.

The performance of students can also be observed in the occasions of scores below “Intermediate“ 3,00. In 2023 year it continues to increase for Bulgaria and it’s 17,9%. Between the leaders - the capital and Smolyan with under 7%, and Shumen district is at the bottom with 30% weak marks, the margin is four times that shows serious distinctions in quality of secondary school.

IME also counts average result in municipalities, where it is visible that the results of the underperformers are getting worse. In 2023 year in 80 municipalities the average result is under “Intermediate” 3,00 (with 69 in previous year). It is even more startling that in six of municipalities - Zemen, Krushary, Yakimovo, Strumyani, Hitrino and Kameno - there is not a single student who managed to get a grade above "Average" 3.00.

Although the trends are concerning, sometimes weak marks are not clear indicator of failure of school education, because in many of small municipalities, there are few students who have taken the exam, but the mark for many of them suggest the “Intermediate” achievement.

The data used to assess the development of different fields in scope of education system clearly show who are the leaders and the underperformers are over the years. The research into their performance is even reveal the importance of full coverage of children within educational system, of competition between schools  for students and resource, of the connection of professional education with the labour market, and the necessity in creating system to stimulate higher added value of education and learning.