There has been an unprecedented drop in maths, reading and science skills around the world in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, new rankings show.
Pupils aged 15 are less likely to be proficient in these three core disciplines than those tested a decade ago by the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa).
Overall, the UAE has maintained its position in the global education rankings, but pupils in the Emirates, as well as those in Saudi Arabia, scored less than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average.
Pisa is an international assessment of the performance of 15-year-olds in reading, maths, and science carried out every three years. It was launched in 2000.
One in four 15-year-olds is now considered a low performer in mathematics, reading, and science
PISA report,
2022
“On average, the Pisa 2022 assessment saw an unprecedented drop in performance across the OECD,” the 2022 Pisa report says.
“Compared to 2018, mean performance fell by 10 score points in reading and by almost 15 score points in mathematics, which is equivalent to three-quarters of a year's worth of learning.
“The decline in mathematics performance is three times greater than any previous consecutive change.
“In fact, one in four 15-year-olds is now considered a low performer in mathematics, reading, and science on average across OECD countries. This means they can struggle to do tasks such as use basic algorithms or interpret simple texts.”
In 2022, close to 700,000 pupils from 81 OECD Member and partner economies, representing 29 million across the world, took the Pisa test. This edition was delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
Pisa scores act as a metric to compare quality, equity and efficiency in learning outcomes across countries.
“Results from Pisa 2022 show that some education systems coped better than others during and after pandemic-related school closures – and even learnt from the experience,” the report added.
While it is noted that “the Covid-19 pandemic seems an obvious factor that may have impacted results in this period,” the picture may not be so clear in some countries.
“In reading, for example, many countries such as Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic and Sweden have seen students scoring lower marks for some time – in some cases for a decade or more,” the report continued.
“Educational trajectories were negative well before the pandemic hit. This indicates that long-term issues in education systems are also to blame for the drop in performance.”
How did pupils in the Middle East fare?
The latest Pisa study evealed that pupils in the Middle East continued to be outperformed by their peers in other developed countries.
In the UAE, average 2022 results were about the same as in 2018 in maths and science, and fell compared to 2018 in reading.
In maths, pupils assessed last year achieved average scores of 431, a drop of four points since 2018, the last time they were assessed.
For reading, pupils had an average score of 417, a drop of 14 points since the last test, while in science pupils had an average score of 432, a drop of two points.
In the UAE, 51 per cent of pupils achieved at least Level 2 proficiency in maths, significantly less than the average across OECD countries – 69 per cent.
Around 52 per cent of pupils in the UAE attained Level 2 or higher in reading, while the OECD average was 74 per cent.
And around 55 per cent of pupils in the country attained Level 2 or higher in science while the OECD average was 76 per cent.
In Saudi Arabia, average 2022 results were up compared to 2018 in maths, down in reading, and about the same in science.
Pupils in the kingdom achieved an average score of 389 in maths, an improvement of 16 points.
In reading, pupils in Saudi Arabia dropped by 17 points to 383.
In Qatar, average 2022 results were about the same as in 2018 in maths, and improved in reading and science. For reading, pupils improved by 12 points to 419.
In Jordan, average 2022 results fell compared to 2018 in maths, and stayed stable in reading and science.
Pisa 2022 is the first large-scale study to collect data on student performance, well-being, and equity before and after the Covid-19 disruptions.
Which countries have performed the best?
Singapore topped the world in maths, reading and science with average scores of 575 in maths, 543 in reading, and 561 in science. Pupils in the country improved by 10 points in science and six points in maths.
Singapore, Ireland and Japan were the top three countries for reading skills while Singapore, Japan and Macao had the highest average scores in science. Singapore, Macao, and Taiwan performed the best in maths.
“The report finds that in spite of the challenging circumstances, 31 countries and economies managed to at least maintain their performance in mathematics since Pisa 2018. Among these, Australia, Japan, [South] Korea, Singapore, and Switzerland maintained or further raised already high levels of student performance, with scores ranging from 487 to 575 points,” the report added.
Super Saturday race card
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
