Swiss students above OECD average in math and reading
Published: Tuesday, Dec 5th 2023, 16:00
Updated At: Tuesday, Dec 5th 2023, 16:01
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In an international comparison, 15-year-olds in Switzerland perform well to very well in mathematics, reading and science. According to the latest Pisa 2022 study, Switzerland is above the OECD average in all three areas. However, the Swiss Teachers' Association is concerned that a quarter of those tested have reading difficulties.
With an average score of 508 points, Swiss young people are well above the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in mathematics.
The OECD average itself is 472 points, according to a press release issued on Tuesday by the Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER).
The proportion of particularly high-achieving young people in mathematics is 16%. However, 19 percent of 15-year-olds in Switzerland do not meet the minimum requirements. This means that the "slight but statistically significant downward trend" in the average result of Swiss pupils that began in 2015 is continuing.
However, compared to all countries participating in the study, Switzerland achieved the eighth best result. Only six Asian countries or territories and Estonia are better, "although the gap to Estonia is due to statistical imprecision", according to the press release.
Reading skills stagnate
The average reading performance of 15-year-olds in Switzerland remains good at 483 points and is therefore stable. The result is above the OECD average of 476 points and is comparable with the results from 2015 and 2018.
The proportion of high-achievers is nine percent. However, 25 percent of young people do not meet the minimum level of competence defined by the OECD.
According to the Pisa report, the four comparison countries Estonia, Canada, Finland and Italy have a lower proportion of low-achieving young people than Switzerland. In contrast, comparative countries such as Austria, Belgium, Germany and France do not differ statistically significantly from Switzerland.
In natural sciences, Switzerland's score of 503 points is above the OECD average of 485 points. The result is also comparable with the results from 2015 and 2018. While the proportion of low-achieving young people here is 19 percent, the figure for high-achievers is ten percent.
Switzerland therefore has a statistically significantly lower proportion of underachievers in this area than most of the comparison countries. Canada and Estonia have an even lower percentage.
Decline in skills
This makes Switzerland "one of 18 countries whose results are above the OECD average in all three areas of competence", according to the report. Switzerland was therefore able to improve its relative position in all three areas tested.
One reason for this is that many countries that were previously ahead of Switzerland are currently achieving "in some cases significantly weaker results". This is because young people's skills in mathematics and reading have fallen across the OECD. Only in the natural sciences has performance remained stable.
On the other hand, the changes in Swiss results in all three areas are small compared to the two Pisa studies from 2015 and 2018.
Worry lines among Swiss teachers
Despite the largely positive results, the Swiss Federation of Teachers (LCH) is concerned. According to a press release issued on Tuesday, it is worrying that a considerable proportion of young people do not achieve the minimum competencies in reading or mathematics.
The success of schools and teaching largely depends on the quality of the teaching staff, wrote the LCH. A shortage of teachers or unqualified specialists would have a strong impact on learning success. From the LCH's point of view, it is absolutely essential to continuously ensure and improve the quality of education.
The Pisa study covers a total of 81 countries, including 37 OECD member states. Pisa stands for "Programme for International Student Assessment" and is an international school performance study.
The results for Switzerland will be summarized in a national report on behalf of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the EDK.
©Keystone/SDA
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