more than 40% of teenagers in Ukraine do not have a basic level of mathematical and reading literacy

Only 58% of Ukrainian 15-year-old students have reached the basic level of mathematical literacy, 59% – reading, and 66% – natural and scientific, according to the results of the international study of the quality of education PISA-2022, published on December 5.

“These indicators are worse than the average values ​​for the OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, whose members are 38 countries – ed.), where 69% of teenagers have reached the basic level of mathematical literacy, reading – 74%, and natural and scientific literacy – 76% “, the report says.

According to the study, the share of the most successful students in Ukraine (that is, those who reached levels 5 and 6 on the subject scales of PISA) is insignificant: 3% – in the field of mathematics and 2% – in reading and natural sciences, respectively. On average in OECD countries, this indicator is higher: 9% in mathematics and 7% in reading and natural sciences.

“The success of Ukrainian male and female students in 2022 worsened compared to the indicators of the previous cycle (2018 – ed.): in mathematics, the result decreased by 12 points, in natural and scientific disciplines – by 19 points, and in reading – by 38 points.” – says the study.

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine indicates that, on average, Ukrainian students lag behind students in OECD countries in reading by approximately two and a half years of study according to PISA standards, and in general, the biggest drop in results in the PISA-2022 cycle is in the field of reading.

“The fact that the research was conducted in Ukraine is an example of the incredible unity, indomitability and strength of our educators and students. Circumstances that determined the last years of Ukrainians’ lives led to a decrease in PISA results in all areas, and the most – in reading. That shared faith in the future and our strength turn this information into a basis for planning further actions, and not a verdict,” said Tetyana Vakulenko, director of the Ukrainian Center for Assessment of the Quality of Education and national coordinator of PISA in Ukraine.

In addition, the results of PISA proved that the success of students largely depends on their socio-economic status, namely, students with a high socio-economic status have higher results in mathematics, reading and natural sciences compared to students with a low socio-economic status. status

“The difference in the results of students who live in rural areas and large cities is the most noticeable: the difference in the mathematics scores of these categories of Ukrainian 15-year-olds is 92 points, which according to PISA-2022 standards is equivalent to more than 4.5 years of education,” – the report says.

The Ministry of Education and Culture noted that since more than 80 countries/economies of the world participate in the study, it is incorrect to make a direct comparison of all countries: educational systems can be strikingly different. Therefore, for comparison with Ukraine, reference countries were chosen: Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Georgia. These countries were chosen due to the similarity of their socio-economic status with Ukraine or due to cultural or historical affinity.

In general, Ukraine showed higher results in all three sectors than Bulgaria, Moldova and Georgia. At the same time, the results of Estonia, Poland and Slovakia are higher.

As noted in the Ministry of Education and Culture, the national report presents basic information about the academic performance of Ukrainian 15-year-olds, in particular against the background of the results of their peers in other countries, as well as compared to student achievements as of 2018, when Ukraine first participated in the PISA study.

The study is aimed at assessing the ability of 15-year-old students to apply knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics and natural sciences in real life contexts. It takes place once every three years and covers more than 80 countries and economies of the world. The PISA-2022 cycle was held not in three, but in four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it impossible to conduct a planned study in 2021, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine clarified. In 2022, Ukraine took part in the study for the second time. Despite the difficulties caused by the war, the MES says, it was possible to collect resources and organize research in 18 of the country’s 27 regions.

“Ukraine is the only country that conducted research in wartime conditions. This is a great and important achievement. Educational institutions conducted testing in October 2022, despite massive shelling and protracted air strikes. Thanks to participation in the study, we have the opportunity to monitor trends in the knowledge and skills of students both at the level of the country and at the level of individual groups of students”, – commented the report of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Oksen Lisovyi.