Teens’ math, reading in unprecedented decline
Mathematics and reading skills are experiencing an unprecedented decline among teenagers across dozens of countries, and Covid-19 school closures are only partially to blame, according to the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The organisation noted some of the steepest drops in performance since 2000 when it initiated its typically triennial tests assessing 15-year-olds’ reading, math, and science skills.
In the latest study, nearly 700,000 youths underwent the two-hour test last year in the OECD’s 38 mostly developed country members and 44 non-members.
This study, closely monitored by policymakers, represents the largest international comparison of education performance.
Compared to the 2018 tests, reading performance in OECD countries decreased by an average of 10 points, while mathematics saw a decline of 15 points — a loss equivalent to three-quarters of a year’s worth of learning.
While over half of the 81 surveyed countries experienced declines, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Poland observed particularly sharp drops in mathematics scores.
On average, one out of four 15-year-olds tested as a low performer in math, reading, and science, indicating an inability to use basic algorithms or interpret simple texts.
There are underlying structural factors, likely to be permanent features of our education systems that policymakers should take seriously.
Countries that provided additional teacher support during Covid-19 school closures scored better, and results were generally improved in places with easy teacher access for special help.
Poorer results tended to be associated with higher rates of mobile phone use for leisure and instances where schools reported teacher shortages.
The OECD emphasised that the decline was not inevitable, citing the example of Singapore, where students scored the highest in math, reading, and science.
Results suggested that they were, on average, three to five years ahead of their OECD peers.
With the increasing reliance on artificial intelligence, more time spent on internet browsing and entertainment, and poor student-teacher ratios identified as primary causes behind the competency loss, the unavailability of comparative data for Bangladeshi teenagers’ competency leaves policymakers in the dark, with no planned measures.
For the survival of the human race and its role in nature, children and youths must be capable of facing the challenges of the time, and Bangladesh has no alternative.
