A new report published by the Human Rights Center states that 66 percent of Estonian university students are holding down jobs, the highest percentage in Europe.

The organization’s annual report for 2010 said that 51 percent of full-time students in the country work full time, and “spend the least amount of time on studies of the students in Europe.”

Based on a survey carried out by Praxis and the Archimedes Primus program, the report also found problems with access to education among the nation’s poor, based on information received from the Federation of Student Unions. The federation said that only 5 percent of students come from families of a low socio-economic background, while 19.5 percent of the population lives in relative poverty. The report’s authors said that the system of student grants was deepening the environment of inequality in higher education, making it further dependent on the income level and place of residence of the parents.

Source: Estonia Has Highest Portion of Working Students in EU, ERR