Bad results of PISA tests: Should we be concerned?

Poor education will influence the economy of the country. PISA testing speaks volumes about the ability of pupils to use their knowledge and apply it to a new situation, a quality that is becoming ever more important.

Illustrative stock photoIllustrative stock photo (Source: SME)

The youngest generation of Slovaks is not keeping up with their peers in other countries. They lag behind in mathematics, reading, and science. The education minister sees the results as justifying the changes he is preparing to propose.

The PISA 2015 survey focused on science, with reading, mathematics and collaborative problem solving as minor areas of assessment. Slovak pupils scored 461 points in science, while the average performance for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries was 493.

On average, the results were 10 points lower when compared with the previous, 2012 tests, the Education Ministry pointed out. However, when compared with the tests in 2006, which also had a particular focus on science, there was a significant decrease of 28 points.

Education Minister Peter Plavčan said the results did not surprise him and that he trusts his proposed reform to reverse the negative trend.

“The changes are inevitable,” he stated and noted that the reform should also transform the content of education.

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Illustrative stock photo

Home office will be preserved in some form in the future

Technical equipment and support, along with social isolation, among main challenges in transitioning to remote work.


23 h
The Slovak Shamrocks

Every Irish village has a Gaelic football team. So does Bratislava

Many people have never heard of the sport, but three months later, they’re playing in the European Gaelic Football championships.


12. jún
Illustrative stock photo

Mass events, border crossing and vaccinated people. Several anti-pandemic rules change of Monday

When arriving to Slovakia from green-tier countries, it will be possible to show a negative test for Covid-19 from abroad.


11. jún