The lack of reform in education, inappropriate curriculum and memorization-oriented teaching are considered among the reasons why Kosovo is ranked 76 out of 80 countries for reading, while in 77th place for science in the PISA test. Education experts say that the improvement of this result can come when institutions give more priority to the implementation of the curriculum framework.
Meanwhile, citizens say that the Ministry of Education must take extraordinary measures to change this situation. However, regarding these results, the opposition say that those who led the state for 20 years should be held accountable, for which they add that all the MPs at that time have become professors.
The expert on education, Rinor Qehaja, in an interview for KosovaPress, said that the lack of quality of teaching in the classroom and teaching oriented towards memorization is in complete contradiction to what the PISA test measures.
He emphasized that in order to improve the situation, real mechanisms must be installed that guarantee the implementation of the curriculum, while adding that textbooks must be compiled that go beyond memorization questions.
Meanwhile, even the mathematics teacher, Osman Dragusha at the “Nexhmi Mustafa” primary school, called the PISA result a disaster, where Kosovo ranks almost last in terms of reading and science.
He emphasized that this result is the responsibility of the government, parents and teachers themselves who cannot change the children’s approach to the book.
Dragusha emphasized that now is the last moment that something should be done to improve the situation.
Meanwhile, the citizens say that the Ministry of Education should take extraordinary measures to change this ranking, while emphasizing that alongside the demand for salary increases from professors, there is a lack of responsibility.
Muhameti Neziri expressed his surprise that Kosovo came out almost last in this test, for which he calls for appropriate steps to be taken by the institutions.
On the other hand, the MP from Vetëvendosje, Mefail Bajqinovci, said that those who have managed the state for 20 years should be held responsible for this result. He emphasized that radical reforms should be made in this direction, while adding that the Minister of Education is working as hard as she has powers in this matter.
When it comes to science, the best results are achieved by children from Estonia (526), Finland (511) and Ireland (504), while the worst are students from North Macedonia (380), Albania (376) and Kosovo (357).
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-olds. PISA assesses students’ performance on real-life tasks considered important for effective participation in adult society and lifelong learning.
