Business persons describe as medium the level of young experts who have graduated recently from higher schools, BTA reported.

This is a conclusion of a survey on the rating of university education in Bulgaria, initiated for the fourth time in a row by the "Pari" daily. The findings of the survey were presented at a roundtable on "Business and Higher Education" on Tuesday.

A partner to the business daily in preparing the rating is the Bulgarian Association for Management and Development of Human Resources. The survey was conducted in October among 600 companies. Human resource experts and managers were interviewed.

Nearly 60 per cent of interviewed companies find that the level of young specialists is medium, 18.5 per cent describe it as low, 17.9 per cent believe that the level of university students is high, 1.7 per cent describe the level as very low, and nearly 3 per cent describe it as very high.

To the question "What weaknesses do you see in the training of young higher education graduates who work in your company," 36.3 per cent of respondents answered that this is the lack of practical skills. According to 12.9 per cent, this is the lack of motivation, 10.2 per cent point to insufficient training for the speciality, and 8.6 per cent - to difficulties of team work. The answer "no weaknesses" was given by 15.3 per cent of interviewees.

The survey shows that among newly appointed personnel 17.9 per cent of computer experts and as many of legal experts earn over 900 leva a month.

Such wages are also paid to 16.2 per cent of engineers, 15.5 per cent of medical and pharmaceutical experts, 9.4 per cent of economists and 8.3 per cent of graduates from humanities. Nearly one-third of all young experts earn an average monthly wage of between 500 and 700 leva, and 7 per cent of those who graduated from pharmacy and medicine are paid less than 300 leva a month.

Education and Science Minister Daniel Vulchev said that universities with a higher rating should receive a larger allowance per student. Currently, the positions offered by universities are more than the applicants wishing to take them and this is a serious objective assessment of society, he said.

Vulchev said that one of the substantial problems of Bulgarian universities are the curricula. They are prepared on the principle to ensure a minimum of courses for each professor. Most subjects taught at universities have no bearing on reality and that is why students do not feel motivated, Vulchev believes.