BERLIN, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- German President Horst Koehler called on Thursday for an urgent reform of the country's education system following a recent report that showed that Germany's educational standard is lagging behind those of other leading industrialized countries.

The standards in Germany were embarrassing, said Koehler in a keynote speech at a secondary school in a working-class Berlin suburb after a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed that Germany was not producing enough university graduates.

The percentage of young people obtaining a degree in Germany stood at 20.6 percent in 2004, well below OECD average of 34.8 percent, said the report.

Koehler called for more money to be invested in education, especially in pre-schooling.

Education is the most important investment that society and individual can make, he said.

The president also highlighted the need for religious education at schools even in a pluralist society like Germany.

An educated society was important to be able to stand up to populists, extremists and religious fanatics, said the president. Enditem