Three in ten Flemish 15-year-olds fail to reach the basic level in reading. In vocational education, this figure rises to as many as three-quarters of the pupils. The figures are contained in a new international PISA study involving nearly 4,000 Flemish pupils. Flanders still scores above the European average in reading, maths and science, but has fewer and fewer high achievers and an increasing number of pupils who perform poorly.
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PISA report: one in three Flemish 15-year-olds fails to reach the basic level in reading, fewer high achievers in Flanders
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Many Flemish pupils are at a complete loss when it comes to basic skills. In science, one-fifth (22.6 per cent) fail to reach the basic level; in maths, one-quarter (25.6 per cent); and in reading, 29.4 per cent fail to reach the basic level.
At the same time, the group of top performers in the classroom is getting smaller and smaller. Whereas in 2003 one in three Flemish pupils could call themselves a maths top performer, that figure is now just one in nine.
For science and reading, this group is even smaller: 8.2 per cent and 5.6 per cent of Flemish pupils, respectively, are in the top group. Flanders continues to score above the EU average in all three subjects, the scores are continuing to fall systematically over the years.
Political initiative
Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir (Flemish nationalist N-VA) intends to get in touch with the relevant European Commissioner and her European colleagues: “You cannot build a strong society without people with sufficient knowledge. We used to be among the best in the world and must now take the lead to get back to that level.”
Another striking finding when compared with the OECD average is that, when Flemish pupils are surveyed, they appear to be less curious and show less perseverance.
They are also less likely than average to say they receive support from their families when it comes to schoolwork. It is striking that, whilst the teacher shortage does cause problems, these problems are perceived as more serious in other countries than they are in Flanders.