Press Releases 2010

PISA Results Disappointing

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

When one considers the effort and expertise, which teachers bring to the teaching and learning of pupils, the latest PISA results are disappointing.  While Northern Ireland pupils are performing better than most of our neighbours, the desired break through to world class standards remains far off.

PISA – The Programme for International Student Assessment is organised by the OECD – the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development and is a survey of the educational achievement of 15 year olds in reading, maths and science.

The results include:

	Reading	Maths	Science
NI	499	492	511
ROI	495	489	508
England		493	515
Scotland		499	514
Wales		472	496
OECD AVERAGE	493	496	496

World class countries include Finland, Shanghai – China, Hong Kong – China and Singapore.

Frank Bunting, Northern Secretary said:
“It’s not a crisis but a wake-up call.  The Education Minister is undoubtedly right when she blames selection for the negative nature of these scores.  But it is also more than that.  Teachers are the most informed group on what is needed to achieve the break through to world class ranking.  INTO says ‘ASK the TEACHER’.  Certainly 20 years of unremitting change in schools, countless initiatives and top down managerialism has not helped.”

Related Story - Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators, New York Times 7/12/2010

Frank Bunting
Northern Secretary