The outcome of the PISA international study, which has placed Slovak pupils well below the average for OECD countries in terms of mathematics, reading and natural sciences, can't be viewed as good news by anyone - experts, politicians or head teachers, Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič said in Parliament on Wednesday.
“There are several reasons behind this. First, it's the early selection of pupils for different types of schools, particularly for eight-year grammar schools, as well as the strong impacts of the socio-economic status of pupils and their family background on their performance,” stated the minister. Čaplovič added that the ministry is aware of numerous other problems ailing the education sector such as a gradual influx of pupils from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Testing which was carried out on a sample of 5,737 15-year-old pupils from 231 schools across Slovakia in April 2012 placed the Slovak pupils at the bottom among the 34 OECD countries. Slovakia sat in 32nd place for reading skills and in 28th-31st place for science. These are the poorest results compared to the OECD average since 2003, when Slovakia first participated in the testing. In addition, the test has shown that the bracket of the poorest performers has grown noticeably.
