When the results of this year's Pisa study were recently presented, the whole of Germany was shocked. Not me. A shock often comes unexpectedly. But anyone who takes a closer look at the education system will hardly be surprised to find that German students have become increasingly difficult to read and calculate for years and have fewer skills in natural sciences.
Education is a key resource, especially for a country like ours, which depends heavily on its export economy. Germany can only survive in global competition if schools train the brightest minds who then come up with the most innovative ideas.
The start-up scene shows that the potential for this still exists: this year, ten young German companies have already become so-called unicorns, i.e. companies with a valuation of more than a billion dollars - more than ever at this point in the year.
In order for this encouraging trend to solidify, an educational revolution is needed. Estonia shows what this can look like. The Baltic EU country has been pursuing an approach to digitalization for decades that has benefited teachers and students alike.
Estonia equipped schools with computers and the Internet 30 years ago. And teachers also receive targeted training. Today you teach programming, robotics and app development. From my school days, which were almost exactly ten years ago, I still remember overhead projectors and the dreaded CRT television in the trolley.
Estonia is also taking advantage of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The government uses AI models in schools that it has designed and implemented together with providers, among other things. Teachers and students are relieved and supported by the AI model. At the same time, they get to know the technology in a safe environment. The project is supported scientifically.
The Estonian AI tutor helps students solve tasks by asking targeted questions. It doesn't directly give the right answer, but rather makes you think. Young people take the hard path with no shortcuts, not the path of least resistance.
Things are different in Germany, although this year's PISA study also shows that our students have long been using AI. However, the future is not being shaped in the classrooms. Because the political master plan seems to be missing - in contrast to Estonia.
In the Federal Republic it is becoming increasingly clear that federalism, which brings many positive aspects to the country, seems out of date for today's challenges to the education system. 16 federal states mean 16 speeds.
The federal and state governments have invested billions of dollars in devices such as iPads in recent years. That's good. However, tablets alone do not turn a 15-year-old into an enthusiastic techie, nor do they promote the creativity of a 13-year-old.
I am not alone with this assessment. Our editor-in-chief Sebastian Matthes is also concerned with the question of what needs to happen for Germany to become world-class in business, innovation and education again. In his book “Inside 2029,” which was published a few days ago, he formulates the dilemma like this: Other countries are preparing their children for the year 2035, we are still preparing ours for 1995.
In an interview for “Inside 2029,” Silke Müller told him: “We have remained in the dead end of mechanization.” The former headmistress herself wrote two books about the state of German schools and is now openly discussing what is not working in the system.
It's not just the technology. Sebastian writes with reference to experts that neither curricula nor iPads are the most important helpers in the school system. It is the teachers and their relationship with the students. Trust is crucial.
In addition to Estonia, Finland has also recognized this, Sebastian describes in his book. Since the 1990s, teacher training courses there have been significantly upgraded. Anyone who becomes a teacher there will be among the best in their class. Standardized tests of students, on the other hand, played a minor role - instead, the system relies on trust in well-trained experts, writes Sebastian.
I think the federal and state governments can learn something from us: those who break new ground early on, use technologies in a targeted and thoughtful manner and at the same time involve teachers will win in the long term. By the way: Estonia has consistently been one of the most successful countries in the PISA study for years, and Finland also performs better than the OECD average.
