Half of the 15-year-olds in Bulgaria fail in their reading comprehension and cannot read to learn and absorb knowledge.

The alarming findings were reveled by the World Bank during a discussion titled "Education, Science and Informational Society" dedicated to the possible solutions for the reform of the education system in Bulgaria.

The World Bank bases its data on a research conducted by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Every three years PISA assesses how far students near the end of compulsory education have reached in acquiring some of the knowledge and skills essential for full participation in society.

The research shows that half of those assessed in Bulgaria are not prepared for future challenges because they cannot analyze, reason and communicate effectively and don't have the capacity to continue learning throughout life.

Bulgaria is at bottom in Europe and the data is comparable only with the results of the Romanian 15-year-olds.

The World Bank recommends increasing the quality and applicability of professional and higher education in Bulgaria by attracting and keeping good teachers through better pay, as well as pre-school programs, deemed the best investment in education.

In the last years the number of Bulgarian college students studying abroad is constantly growing. In order to resolve the issue, the World Bank recommends more competition among Bulgaria's higher institutions, availability of student loans, and increased financing from the private sector.

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