At each new assessment of French students in mathematics, Bernard Ourghanlian has a cold sweat. “The average level is declining. This is worrying, because it announces the level of students who will arrive tomorrow on the job market ”, launches the technical and security director of Microsoft France, who is also a member of the employment and education committee of Syntec Numérique – the association of digital service companies.
For years, the world rankings of students’ mathematics level have been final. France has become the red lantern of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) survey, which measures performance in CM1 and fourth. And in the last study Pisa (2018) of the OECD, which tests the ability of 15-year-olds from 79 states to mobilize their knowledge to solve a problem, it is only average, “Whereas, in 2003, it was one of the best performing countries”, reminds the OECD Education Directorate, Eric Charbonnier, questioned by “The continued deterioration of the trend for twenty years”, which adds to poor performance in science, reading and writing.
–
