The poor results of the national external assessment have focused public attention on one major problem - the quality of Bulgarian education. They have raised a number of questions: what knowledge and skills do graduates have; are they able to meet the criteria of an increasingly demanding and globally competitive labour market; why do the most academically inclined students choose to continue their studies in Western universities; what can their home country offer them, so that they choose to return and work there after they take their degrees?

Paradoxically, knowledge is no longer an unquestionable value in modern society, says Prof. Todor Galunov, professor of political science at the University of Veliko Tarnovo. According to him, this is one of the reasons for the poor performance of Bulgarian students.

"Having a degree seems to have become more important than having knowledge," he says. - And knowledge has shifted from the bookshelf to what is accumulated on social networks. Kids are now reading more information on Facebook, on the wide reaches of the Internet, but they're having a hard time accumulating knowledge and having access to it, unlike the generations before them. But this is not surprising because the system of values has changed a lot."

According to Rayana Mihaylova, a teacher of Bulgarian language and literature at the Vidin High School of Mathematics, one of the major educational problems is that there is a declining interest in reading books.

"All colleagues agree on this," she says. "The Internet is full of information and students are misled. Somehow they look at the situation more lightly, it is easier for them to copy and paste, they do not care for reading. If we did a social survey of how many of them have got a library card, the result would be overwhelming. Meaningful literature is boring to them, they prefer entertainment and action. So there is a downfall that we haven't identified yet."

Another discouraging fact is that a good education does not guarantee a good workplace. "Highly qualified specialists in Bulgaria have a hard time finding a job", stresses prof. Todor Galunov.

Young people do not believe that in this country they will find realization for the knowledge they have gained, so their dream destination leads to the West. One of them is Radina Kirilova - a brilliant graduate of the high school with foreign language teaching in Vidin, who defines herself as a "citizen of the world".

"My big dilemma was the Erasmus University in Rotterdam or the American University in Blagoevgrad," she says, "I was so in love with the American University's programs that if it were abroad, I would have gone there. But I chose to study media and communications in the Netherlands to challenge myself, meet people from all over the world and get a feel for this international standard. In high school I had many projects that took me abroad - mainly to the Western world. Yes, I love my home country, but I also feel very comfortable in other countries, albeit in different ways."

Victoria Simeonova also graduated from the High School for Foreign Languages in Vidin, but unlike Radina she decided to continue her education in Bulgaria. "Studying abroad might be a bit better and the realization might be greater, but if you have the desire, you can do well there too," she notes. And she points out many shortcomings of the education system in Bulgaria.

"Bulgarian education is in need of renovation because the practices that are applied in schools are not compatible with reality," says Victoria.

The people developing the curricula have no contact with the students, so they have no idea what goes on in the classrooms. Our graduating class was on a new curriculum and the results are so bad! This must be a red light for the state. There must be a change, otherwise Bulgaria will be losing many of its future specialists who will simply choose to continue their education in another country. Many of my peers with high potential choose to go overseas because everything is very different there."

It is a trivial fact that quality education becomes a launchpad to a country's prosperity. And its priorities determine its future.

Compiled by: Diana Tsankova on a report by Victoria Topalska, Radio Vidin-BNR Photos: library

 Photos: library