07 Feb 2014

Universal Basic Education? By David Levesque

By David Levesque, Independent Education Adviser. Am I the only one who finds the debate on post MDG /EFA education goals over complicated? Suggested ‘own goals’ abound. With the desire to ensure ‘quality’ and measurement for all and include as many sectors as possible it ends up sounding like a cacophony of competing interests. The...
Read More
03 Feb 2014

Education for ‘Global Citizenship’: Beyond the ‘Fuzzword’ By Sobhi Tawil

By Sobhi Tawil, UNESCO. The notion of ‘global citizenship’ has recently gained prominence in international development discourse through the recently-adopted United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative. Indeed, among the three priority areas outlined in this global initiative, the third aims to ‘foster global citizenship’. Making sense of ‘fuzzwords” The notion of ‘global citizenship’, however,...
Read More
20 Jan 2014

Making PISA in Shanghai By Kai-ming Cheng

By Kai-ming Cheng, University of Hong Kong. The PISA 2012 results were published in December 2013; Shanghai again tops the ranking, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, then South Korea, Taiwan, Japan. So what’s new? First, Finland, which used to be the top, is still doing very well, but has dropped out of pole position. Second,...
Read More
16 Jan 2014

PISA in Peru: Achieving Poorly, But Improving By Santiago Cueto

By Santiago Cueto, Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE), Peru. As in the past, the recent results of the PISA assessment for Peru generated pessimistic comments about the abilities of our students and the quality of our education system. Are our students achieving poorly? Without a doubt. Are we worse than in previous assessments?...
Read More
10 Jan 2014

PISA in Low and Middle Income Countries By Simone Bloem

By Simone Bloem, formerly OECD. Over the past decade, the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) has become the worlds’ premier yardstick for evaluating the quality, equity and efficiency of school systems. In December 2013, the latest results of the fifth survey round – PISA 2012 – were published and have resulted in active public...
Read More
08 Jan 2014

PISA for Development and the Post-2015 Agenda By Michael Davidson, Michael Ward and Alejandro Gomez Palma

By Michael Davidson, Michael Ward and Alejandro Gomez Palma, OECD. As part of its contribution to the post-2015 education framework, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is attempting to enhance its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to make it more relevant to developing countries. These ideas, outlined in an OECD brochure released...
Read More
Back to top