Bulgaria's education system is ranked 30th out of 40 developed countries, according to a global league table published by education firm Pearson.

The first and second places are taken by Finland and South Korea.

The rankings combine international test results and data such as graduation rates between 2006 and 2010.

The first two superpowers are followed by Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore.

"Successful countries give teachers a high status and have a "culture" of education," Michael Barber, Pearson's chief education adviser, is quoted saying.

The top 10 also include the UK, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Canada. The US is 17th, Germany – 15th and France is 25th.

Bulgaria is right behind Israel and ahead of neighboring Greece, Romania, and Turkey, which rank 31sr, 32nd, and 34th respectively.

BBC writes that looking at education systems that succeed, the study concludes that spending is important, but not as much as having a culture that is supportive of learning.

It says that spending is easier to measure, but the more complex impact of a society's attitude to education can make a big difference.

The success of Asian countries in these rankings reflects the high value attached to education and the expectations of parents. This can continue to be a factor when families migrate to other countries, says the report accompanying the rankings.

The report also emphasizes the importance of high-quality teachers and the need to find ways to recruit the best staff. This might be about status and professional respect as well as levels of pay.

The rankings show that there is no clear link between higher relative pay and higher performance.

And there are direct economic consequences of high and low performing education systems, the study says, particularly in a globalized, skill-based economy.

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