Freiberg, Brandenburg's Education Minister, Swings into Action over Pisa Results
After German students bombed in the Pisa study, Freiberg, the Education Minister in Brandenburg (SPD), rallied his troops with a war cry - time to sharpen our focus on core subjects, specifically mathematics and German, in schools. The poor showing of German students in mathematics sparked Freiberg's call to action, and on April 1, 2022, the "Abako" project kicked off to boost elementary school students' fundamental math skills.
Some of the hard-hitting statements came from the co-governing CDU, who expressed serious alarm over the Pisa results. Gordon Hoffmann, the Education Policy spokesperson for the CDU parliamentary group in Brandenburg's state parliament, urged an increased focus on the essentials of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and even more emphasis on language support early on in a student's academic journey.
The CDU wasn't the only group sounding the alarm. With fearless candor, Freiberg acknowledged that the year 9 students, who participated in the 2022 Pisa test, were significantly impacted by teaching restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But, the stats don't lie. Germany's scores in reading, mathematics, and science sank to record lows, crushed by the brutal hammer of the Pisa study in 2022. Math wasn't kind to German students at all, with a dismal score of 475, down from an already shaky 500 in the 2019 study. Reading wouldn't land a passing grade with a score of 480, compared to the previous study's 498, and science didn't impress much either, registering a 492 versus the 2019's 503.
For Further Reading:
- Pointing the Finger at Remote Learning In the face of such appalling results, the CDU pointed the finger at remote learning, which had darkened the doorstep of schools due to COVID-19. The CDU insisted that educators must put even more effort into supporting children's language skills from an early age, all while carrying on with the essentials of reading, writing, and arithmetic.
- Abako: The Comeback Kid Freiberg's response to these grim Pisa results? Wage war on the backburner and strengthen German and math education measures in Brandenburg's schools like never before. He spearheaded the "Abako" project, scheduled to bust on the scene on April 1, 2022, aimed at revitalizing elementary school students' mathematical fundamentals.
- Face the Pandemic Head On Understanding that COVID-19 created a setback in education, Freiberg didn't shy away from acknowledging the staggering impact on Year 9 students, who had endured restricted teaching during the pandemic.
- Faced with the brunt of the consequences, Germany stumbled under the weight of its dismal Pisa test results.
The provided sources fail to delve into the specific strategies to improve German and math education in Brandenburg. However, the general approach in Brandenburg has been characterized by an emphasis on digitalization, external partnerships, and sustainability. Remote learning adaptation, teacher training, and the eradication of learning disparities are reactions to the pandemic, which has accentuated the need for these strategies.
