Bulgaria proposes education funding reforms amid low student rankings

Bulgaria is facing a disconnect between educational spending and student performance. While public expenditure on education stands at 4.4% of GDP—close to the European Union average of 4.7%—Bulgarian students rank at the bottom of European PISA international assessments.

The current “money follows the student” funding model, implemented nearly 20 years ago, has seen its effectiveness decline. Although the initial unified standard system led to a rapid consolidation of the school network, including the closure or merger of approximately 10% of the smallest schools in a single year, subsequent additions of extra payments for specific classes and activities have stalled this consolidation.

The government's management program proposes three key reforms to address these issues: removing payments from standards that do not depend on student numbers, introducing a quality component to reward successful schools, and establishing a support mechanism for schools with consistent failures. A target for changing the quality assessment system is set for January 2030, though the integration of these changes into the financial model remains unclear.