After the Pisa shock: consequences for schools demanded

The sharp drop in performance of German students in the international comparative study Pisa is also having an impact Bayern tempers rise. The current results are “already a slap in the face for Germany,” said Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) on Tuesday in the Bavarian state parliament. “We need to improve basic techniques in schools to achieve better education.” In addition to the opposition, teachers’ associations and the economy in the Free State also called for consequences from the worst values ​​ever measured for Germany as part of Pisa.

“The Pisa results mercilessly reflect our outdated, rigid Bavarian school system. If the Söder government had taken countermeasures earlier, our students would be doing better today,” emphasized the education policy spokeswoman for the state parliament Greens, Gabriele Triebel. “We need more teachers and modern teaching, good all-day education and multi-professional teams – also to give every child an equal start.”

Minister of Culture Anna Stolz (Free voters) promised, at the request of the German Press Agency, to do everything in its power to counteract the drop in performance in Bavaria’s schools – even if the PISA results initially referred to the whole of Germany and not specifically to Bavaria. “We will include all scientific results here in order to be able to strengthen the basic skills in an even more targeted manner in the future.” Existing measures would be expanded and new ones created. Stolz emphasized that children and young people with a migrant background in particular should be given more help in learning to read.

“Just taking note of studies is not enough – taking a closer look and taking action is the order of the day,” warned the chairman of the Bavarian Philology Association, Michael Schwegerl. The further decline in reading skills is particularly alarming because good reading skills are the basis for a successful school career, later professional life and participation in social life. The chairwoman of the Bavarian teachers’ association BLLV, Simone Fleischmann, also called for individual support for young talent and better working conditions for teachers: “The analyzes are enough now. We finally need action!”

The Bavarian Business Association also sees an acute need for action. Children and young people are the skilled workers of tomorrow. “We have to provide them with high-quality, individualized educational offerings across all types of schools so that we can remain internationally competitive as an educational and business location in the long term,” emphasized vbw Managing Director Bertram Brossardt.

It is the first Pisa report card since the corona pandemic. In reading, mathematics and science, the 15-year-olds delivered the worst results ever measured in Pisa in Germany. Pisa stands for “Program for International Student Assessment” and is the largest international school performance comparison study led by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Germany is one of a handful of countries where the decline in performance was particularly pronounced during the corona pandemic.

(dpa)