The new education reform came into force in September 2017. It abolished the middle schools that had been set up in 1999, bringing in an eight-year elementary school followed by a four‑year general or a five‑year technical high school, with first‑level and second‑level trade schools replacing previous vocational schools. After a year, there are still doubts about whether the reform was adequately prepared, properly implemented, or even justifiable in the first place. People who were asked about this towards the end of August, mostly believed that education had needed reforming (52%, with 37% of the opposite view), but had considerable misgivings in about the way the reform was prepared (40% negative opinions as against 29% positive) and how it was implemented (36% to 31% respectively).

More on this subject in the CBOS report.