Estonian Minister of Education and Research Jevgeni Ossinovski spoke at a conference in Tallinn on 19 November at which the results of national studies conducted on the basis of the PISA survey were presented. Also attending the conference and giving its opening address was Finnish Minister of Education, Science and Communications Krista Kiuru.
The conference showcased the studies conducted in Estonia and other countries based on the results of the international PISA survey. The conclusions drawn in the studies contribute to finding ways of improving the education system. “Based on the results of the PISA survey, Estonia’s basic education is among the world’s finest,” Minister Ossinovski said, giving the opening presentation at the conference. “But remaining at the top is even harder than getting there in the first place. It’s not enough to preserve what you’ve already got – you have to strive to be even better and to find ways of shoring up your weaker areas.” In his presentation Minister Ossinovski said that although the basic education offered in Estonia is among the best in the world according to the PISA survey, there are still weak points in education. “The PISA test has made it clear that we haven’t yet managed to develop every student’s potential to the full,” he said. “The proportion of students who could drive our society and our economy forward is modest. Secondary and vocational schools can’t work wonders if basic education fails to provide students with the skills to create things, to implement what they learn and to think critically.” Boys’ reading skills are weaker compared to those of girls. Moreover, although students from schools with Russian as the language of instruction have made significant progress in recent years, their results remain markedly weaker than those of fellow students from schools with Estonian as the language of instruction. Knowing what leads to success helps not only to maintain strengths but to develop them further. Weaker areas, meanwhile, can only be reinforced if the reasons for them are known, resources can be effectively channelled and appropriate activities can be implemented.
Invited to speak at the conference in Tallinn were representatives of Iceland, the Netherlands, Finland and Estonia who have studied the PISA results from the point of view of their own countries and who are striving with their results to provide information that is needed for the development of the system. Although each country has its own unique education system, the root causes of problems in education are often the same. The PISA conference in Tallinn was organised by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Innove foundation.
The conference showcased the studies conducted in Estonia and other countries based on the results of the international PISA survey. The conclusions drawn in the studies contribute to finding ways of improving the education system. “Based on the results of the PISA survey, Estonia’s basic education is among the world’s finest,” Minister Ossinovski said, giving the opening presentation at the conference. “But remaining at the top is even harder than getting there in the first place. It’s not enough to preserve what you’ve already got – you have to strive to be even better and to find ways of shoring up your weaker areas.” In his presentation Minister Ossinovski said that although the basic education offered in Estonia is among the best in the world according to the PISA survey, there are still weak points in education. “The PISA test has made it clear that we haven’t yet managed to develop every student’s potential to the full,” he said. “The proportion of students who could drive our society and our economy forward is modest. Secondary and vocational schools can’t work wonders if basic education fails to provide students with the skills to create things, to implement what they learn and to think critically.” Boys’ reading skills are weaker compared to those of girls. Moreover, although students from schools with Russian as the language of instruction have made significant progress in recent years, their results remain markedly weaker than those of fellow students from schools with Estonian as the language of instruction. Knowing what leads to success helps not only to maintain strengths but to develop them further. Weaker areas, meanwhile, can only be reinforced if the reasons for them are known, resources can be effectively channelled and appropriate activities can be implemented.
Invited to speak at the conference in Tallinn were representatives of Iceland, the Netherlands, Finland and Estonia who have studied the PISA results from the point of view of their own countries and who are striving with their results to provide information that is needed for the development of the system. Although each country has its own unique education system, the root causes of problems in education are often the same. The PISA conference in Tallinn was organised by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Innove foundation.
