PISA failure: Government and municipalities blame

However, this result has not surprised the education expert, Mr. Dukagjin Pupovci, who says that results could not be expected from the measures taken in three years.

Unfortunately, neither the alarm that has caused the poor result on the test nor the public response has put policy makers in Kosovo to work on implementing this strategy. Although this would have no effect on the results of 2018, it could have had effect on the results of 2021 or 2024. Pupovci in an answer to Periscope.

Pupovci has also stated that Kosovo's priority should not be to improve the test result, but to improve the situation in the education system. However, he has not shown in what ways the eventual improvement of this system would be measured.

The following is your full answer from Mr. Pupovci:

Test P The 2015 ISA showed where we are, while the similar result was confirmed in the final test. This was hardly surprising, since there has not been enough time to improve the situation since December 2016 when the results of the first test were released until April 2018 when the final test was held.

We must remember that the test P The ISA provides information on students' skills to apply their knowledge to everyday life after an 8-to 9-year schooling and these knowledge cannot be filled in less than a year. A small improvement has been attempted through pilot - testing organization, but such efforts proved futile.

Ironically, the very day the first test results were made public P The ISA, that is, on December 6, 2016, has been approved by the Five-year Education Strategy Government, which envisions numerous measures to improve the situation in this sector.

Unfortunately, neither the alarm that has caused the poor results on the test nor the public response has put policy makers in Kosovo to work on implementing this strategy. Although this would have no effect on the results of 2018, it could have had effect on the results of 2021 or 2024. Therefore, the political responsibility for not taking measures to improve the situation lies with the Government of Kosovo and the Ministry of Education, but also with municipalities, which have enormous competencies in the field of pre-university education.

Even though the test P The ISA provides some valuable information on the situation in the education system, I think our goal should not be to improve the test outcome, but to the situation in the education system. So the test. P The ISA shows that about 78% of students do not possess minimum reading skills, which have a chain effect on them both in learning and in life. So this is the signal that reading is given more attention, starting in the first grade. Some steps taken in this direction 4-5 years ago have been completely ignored. Then, the state has to adjust its external assessment so that no one can have the hope that the senior exam and the arrival test can be passed unconsciously, and this then adds parents' pressure on school to prepare their children better. Following the approval of the new Law on Education Inspectorate, the school's external evaluation system, which is provided with this law, must be functional and adds school responsibility for work done with students. In general, a literal system of accountability should be built from school to the highest levels of decision-making in the state. This requires consistent enforcement of approved laws and policies, but also much commitment and work by all. /Periscope