Pisa results: Education Minister Oldenburg calls for strengthening basic skills
After German students' poor performance in the PISA test, politicians and trade unions are calling for measures to promote German, mathematics and early childhood education.
Quick Look
- After the historically poor performance of German students in the PISA test, Education Minister Simone Oldenburg is calling for more focus on German and mathematics.
- The opposition and trade unions criticize the education policy and call for early childhood support.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
In the current PISA comparison, German students performed worse than ever before. In addition, school success in Germany depends more on parents than in other countries.
The weak performance of German students in the most recent Pisa test strengthens Education Minister Simone Oldenburg (Left) in her opinion that there should be more space for mathematics and German lessons. The minister explained that the basic skills need to be strengthened.
“We need more time to learn, practice and consolidate and provide targeted support for the students.” Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is taking this path. “We improve German and mathematics, promote early reading skills with the reading tape, expand language education and create more opportunities for individual support.”
At the same time, she called for the federal government's planned cuts to daycare centers to be reversed. The PISA results show that education starts with the little ones, said Oldenburg.
Criticism of education policy from the opposition
Criticism of the SPD government's education policy came from the opposition. The education policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group, Enrico Schult, called for a change of course. The results are an “educational policy oath of revelation”. However, the evaluation of the PISA study concerns Germany as a whole; there are no detailed evaluations for individual federal states.
The chairman of the CDU in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Daniel Peters, called for a clear performance orientation in schools. Learning levels must be recorded consistently. “Anyone who falls behind must receive targeted support at an early stage. This starts before you start school.” Peters called for mandatory language proficiency assessments between the ages of four and five and mandatory support for identified deficits - “just as the federal government is planning”.
Teachers' Union: Trust educational research
The teachers' union GEW called for "less emotion and more trust in educational research" in the education policy debate. More equal opportunities are needed and that starts in kindergarten. “We must see daycare centers primarily as educational institutions and not just as care options,” demanded the GEW.
In the new PISA comparison, students in Germany are doing worse than ever before. It also confirms the finding that school success in Germany depends more on the parents than in other countries. This gap has actually been increasing again since 2015.
Open Questions
- How will the planned measures be financed specifically?
- When will the first effects of the reforms be measurable?
