German Education in Crisis: GEW Spurs Action after Pisa Shocker
Posting disappointing results in the Pisa study, Germany's education union, GEW, in Saxony, calls for prompt action from the state government. The union noted that education success in Germany continues to depend heavily on social background, a reality that remains unchanged despite the Pisa results. The study reveals that educational inequality within the German educational system has not diminished but rather worsened during times of crisis.
Financial cutbacks have left a void, causing a shortage of staff, overworked teachers, and lagging digitalization and media education by years. Now, education must garner urgent priority in politics.
German pupils performed dismally in the 2022 Pisa performance study, registering record-low scores in reading, mathematics, and science. These disappointing results marked the nation's poorest performance in the Pisa study ever.
Amy Kirchhoff, Chairwoman of the Saxony State Student Council, concurs that the Pisa results largely stem from the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The Pisa study underscores the severe ramifications of the consequences," Kirchhoff stated. "It's crucial to continue focusing on academic aspects of the COVID-19 recovery program." In addition, free tutoring and expanding social services in educational institutions should be implemented to bridge the learning gap.
While 257 schools in Germany participated in the Pisa study, state-specific results remain unavailable.
Further Reading:
The GEW in Saxony insists that the Pisa shock should spur a reevaluation of the country's education system, urging political authorities to take decisive action to tackle educational disparities, prioritize education, and promote media education.
Meanwhile, the Saxony State Student Council shares this sentiment, arguing that the Pisa shock serves as a stark reminder of the far-reaching consequences. To mitigate these consequences, they recommend continuing the academic portions of the COVID-19 catch-up program and providing free tutoring to all students. Furthermore, they advocate for augmenting and consolidating social work in educational institutions.
Germany embarks on a crucial journey, attempting to rectify deficiencies revealed by the Pisa study while striving to foster a more inclusive and equitable educational system. Empowered by the enrichment data, Germany will adopt several policy measures to address educational shortcomings, such as standardizing and monitoring educational performance, reforming teacher certification standards, increasing e-learning initiatives, emphasizing language proficiency requirements, and teaching German values to students. With collective effort and dedication, Germany can overcome the Pisa shock, ready to face the future with confidence.
