I see I’m not the only one talking about PISA. OECD does like to make a noise about it. They have just announced the results from their latest PISA survey. PISA means Programme for International Student Assessment.

OECD conducts a survey every three years, which compares reading, mathematics and science performance of 15-year-old pupils around the world.
Over half a million 15-year-olds from 79 countries took part in PISA in 2018. This survey focussed on reading, though maths, science and global competence were also assessed.

18 of ETF’s 29 partner countries participated. Some, such as Belarus, Ukraine and Turkey did well. These countries had lower levels of under-achieving young people than some other countries.

For our purposes, what is the link to lifelong learning and VET? In addition to maths, sciences and reading, PISA assesses skills such as collaborative problem-solving and global competence. There is also the indirect association of general competences and literacy with superior occupational skills and, eventually, performance, some of the purposes of VET.

PISA raises broader questions too, which are related to lifelong learning. How well are young adults being prepared to meet the challenges of the future? Can they analyse information, reason and communicate their? And, perhaps most necessary, will they be able to keep learning all their lives?

PISA is not without its critics, though. Many academics and researchers say it should be suspended. They say it is biased in favour of what is easily measurable and that this fails to capture broader skills and knowledge.

One objection to PISA and similar assessments is that they distort what education is for. I am happy to have that discussion - everyone is, we’ve all been to school. But maybe here we can discuss the claim that it does nothing to measure the skills that are essential to modern economies. Or, better, to prepare people for life in modern economies and societies.

Does it or doesn't it?

Does your country pay attention to PISA in developing its education, training and lifelong learning systems? Is it a valid indicator of quality of those systems?