A discussion about the quality of school education has flared up in Cyprus after the publication of the results of the international PISA study.
According to data published on September 8, 62% of Cypriot schoolchildren do not reach the basic level of reading comprehension, 53% experience difficulties with mathematics, and in natural sciences the country ranked last in the ranking. The results were discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on education. Deputies, representatives of the Ministry of Education, universities, teachers’ organizations, and parents expressed concern and called for concrete changes.
Committee chairman Chrysanthos Savvidis stated that six out of ten pupils do not understand what they have read, calling the situation alarming. According to him, 11 out of 20 schoolchildren in Cyprus have problems with mathematics, while in Europe it is 7 out of 20. In natural sciences difficulties arise for 52.11% of Cypriot pupils compared with 26% in the European Union.
Representatives of the educational sphere believe that several factors affect academic performance at once. Among them are the large volume of the curriculum, conditions in school classrooms, social inequality, digital distractions, and insufficient attention to text comprehension and the practical application of knowledge.
Deputy director for general secondary education Georgios Koutsides noted that PISA does not reflect the entire picture of school education, but the results make one think about whether children are acquiring the necessary skills. He also stressed the need to review the curriculum and reduce the volume of material so that pupils have more time for understanding and consolidating knowledge. Robotics, new technologies, and artificial intelligence are already being included in the program.
A separate problem was outlined by the vice-president of the teachers’ organization OELMEK, Kyriakos Mattheou. According to him, some teachers do not even know that their pupils are participating in PISA studies, and schoolchildren and teachers often perceive such participation as a formality. He called for the development of special teaching materials and the training of teachers for preparation for international assessment.
The Ministry of Education is developing a three-year plan to improve academic performance, which will begin to be implemented in January 2027.
The main attention will be paid to three areas: reading comprehension, mathematics, and natural sciences. At the first stage the program is planned to be tested in the second grade of gymnasium during the current academic year. Then the results will be evaluated, the materials will be expanded for the third grade of gymnasium, and comprehensive assignments will be introduced in the first grade of lyceum.
The Ministry also intends to review curricula and align the material studied with what is tested in exams. Another task is to reduce the emphasis on mechanical memorization and to develop financial literacy, civic education, and digital skills.
According to information from the representative of the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy, Eleana Gavriel, 14 million euros have been allocated for the digital transformation of education. The next PISA assessment is scheduled for 2029.
Participants in the parliamentary discussion differed in their assessments of the causes of the crisis, but many agreed that mere statements about the problem are not enough. DISY deputy Nicoletta Constantinou called for a long-term reform with measurable goals, specific deadlines, and funding. In her opinion, a consistent educational policy is needed that will not change depending on the government.
AKEL representative Christos Christofides, on the contrary, criticized previous reforms, stating that over the past 15 years the results of Cypriot schoolchildren continued to deteriorate. He advocated an educational system that develops critical thinking, analysis, the ability to work with technologies, and apply knowledge, rather than only memorizing material.
Representatives of universities also stressed the need to evaluate the effectiveness of reforms. In the opinion of the professor of comparative pedagogy at the University of Cyprus, Lefteris Kliridis, the PISA results can help determine the directions of changes, although it is not easy to directly link test results with specific decisions in educational policy.
Representatives of teachers and parents called for cooperation between schools, universities, and the Ministry of Education. Among the proposals are the preparation of new digital teaching materials, professional development of teachers, and the development of a reading culture.
The parliamentary committee on education plans to return to the discussion of the PISA results later. The main question remains open: will the new measures lead to a sustainable improvement in the quality of education in Cyprus by the next international assessment in 2029?
Source: reporter.com.cy
https://cyprusbutterfly.com.cy/news/shkolnikov-kipre-ponimayut-prochitannoe
