Social stratification

The development of private education further intensifies the need to upgrade free education.

Thousands of families are looking to secure a spot for their child at a so-called model school, hoping to benefit from such islands of quality and excellence in the public education system. 

The incredible demand proves how right it was to revive these schools, which had been accused in the past of "elitism" and serving as ladders for social mobility.

The glaring disparities in the performance of pupils at public schools compared to those at private schools are ample evidence of the fact that education no longer acts as a vehicle for social mobility. By operating at two different speeds, instead, Greek education reproduces social inequalities. 

"Nearly 50 percent of young Bulgarians live with their parents, while in Denmark only 4 percent of young people over 18 live with relatives. The situation is worse is in Croatia, where 65 percent of youngsters share dwellings with their parents," commented on BNR Prof. Iskra Dandolova, housing policy analyst, on the occasion of the latest EUROSTAT report on housing issues in Bulgaria.