Education, education, education

"Tests" on selected pupils worldwide show that British teenagers have been relegated from the top 20 rankings in the core subjects of maths, science and reading. Disclosed too, is the fact that students from Vietnam, Shanghai and Poland, among others, have a better grasp of these subjects. Well, well. Should we blame anyone for this? If so, who is to blame? Should we give credit to those who have done better? It's not necessarily that our students have not done as well as previously. Maybe others have improved greatly thus pushing UK students down the tables even though UK students have done as well as before in real terms? Ah that could be it. After all, general levels of IQ are not likely to have altered over the years. Presumably, teachers are as good as ever and presumably, teachers still know what bascis to pass on. There is a possible further view that appeals to me. For those of us who can read and have access to the news, it will hardly have escaped our notice that standards of behaviour have slipped in the UK education system. For example, it is reported that 25% of UK school children in the age group in question played truant in the two weeks before the OECD tests were held, whereas other countries recorded scores as low as 4% truancy for a similar period. Is it a surprise that those countires rank higher? Teachers have often been reported complaining quite loudly that a major part of their time is occupied with managing bad behaviour by students in the class room, to the clear detriment of other able and willing pupils. Ho hum. Without some serious reforms, we can look forward to further slippage in years to come. Let's hope there will be some folk around in the UK sufficiently well taught to read the results of future surveys.