Brazil worsens in mathematics, reading and science after the pandemic

The performance of Brazilian students worsened after the pandemic in the three areas of knowledge assessed by Pisa 2022, one of the main quality assessments of basic education in the world. After a decade without significant progress, Brazil has now regressed in education. At the same time, the drop here was smaller than the average for rich countries.

Pisa was released this Tuesday morning (5) by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in Paris. These are the first results in mathematics, reading and science that allow us to compare the impact of the coronavirus pandemic — and the resulting school closures — on student learning in different parts of the world.

The data indicates that the health crisis had an unprecedented negative global impact, with a significant drop in the average score of OECD member countries in the three areas assessed. In mathematics, there was a reduction of 15 points between 2018 and 2022 — which represents a loss of more than half a year of learning in the subject.

Pisa assessed 690,000 15-year-old students in 81 countries and regions around the world. Held for the first time in 2000, the test, which used to be administered every three years, was postponed by a year due to the pandemic. Thus, the edition, scheduled for 2021, was made last year.

“In two decades of Pisa tests, the OECD average had never changed more than four points in mathematics from one edition to another. This is what makes the 2022 results so unique. The drop is dramatic in many countries and the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be an obvious factor,”

says the report.

Once again, it was the Asian countries and territories that had the best results in the test. Singapore once again recorded the best performance in all areas, followed by Japan and Korea. The three countries improved their averages even during the pandemic.

Brazil followed the trend of other countries, with a drop in all three areas, although it had less pronounced losses than the average of OECD member countries. The most affected area among Brazilian students was mathematics, in which the grade fell from 384 to 379, between 2018 and 2022. Ten years ago, the Brazilian average in the area was 389.

Even with the worsening in averages, Brazil managed to improve its position in the ranking in relation to other countries. In mathematics, it went from 71st place to 65th, but is still ahead of the OECD average, which was 472 points, and continues behind countries such as Saudi Arabia, Peru, Costa Rica and Colombia.

The results also show that 70% of Brazilian students perform in mathematics below what is considered basic for their age. According to the assessment, these young people do not reach an adequate level of proficiency to “fully participate in society”, that is, they are unable to use mathematical concepts to solve everyday problems.

This year, Pisa focused the assessment on the area of ​​mathematics, which means that students answered more questions in that subject. According to the OECD, the test does not seek to assess whether the student has learned how to use formulas or concepts, but rather the ability to use and interpret mathematics in their daily lives.

Brazil also had a drop in reading performance, going from 413 points in 2018 to 410 in 2022. Half of Brazilian students are at a level below basic in reading, which means they have difficulty, for example, identifying explicit information in a text.

There was also a drop in the science average, which went from 404 to 403 points in the same period.

COUNTRIES THAT CLOSED SCHOOLS FOR THE SAME TIME HAD AN IMPROVEMENT

According to the report, the countries that spent less time with schools closed during the pandemic were those that managed to maintain or improve educational results during the period. Brazil was among those that had face-to-face classes interrupted for the longest time.

On the OECD average, 51% of students spent more than three months with schools closed during this period. In Brazil, more than 74% responded that they had spent more than three months without in-person classes.

DESPITE A SMALLER FALL, THE RESULT IS CONSIDERED BAD

According to the president of the Movimento Todos pela Educação, Priscila Cruz, it is a fact that Brazil’s grades fell, but it is important to point out that this variation was lower than the average in other countries. The biggest problem, she says, is that the country continues to have poor results and is much worse off than the rest of the world.

“Brazil, which wants to be a world leader, wants to be among the developed countries, is the same one that is at the bottom of Pisa. We need to at least lead Latin America,” she says. Cruz also highlights that, unlike two decades ago, when Pisa was created, the country has evolved in the construction of more structuring public policies in the area, but there is still a need to face central issues.

“Pisa is alerting to the policies that are most advanced and that are the most complex. Which are the set of teaching policies and integration with early childhood”, she says.

The president of Instituto Singularidades, Claudia Costin, says that the results of this edition bring a certain surprise, considering that Brazil’s fall was less intense than the OECD average despite the country having been one of the record holders for the number of schools closed during the pandemic. . She emphasizes, however, that Brazil’s level is unacceptable.

“The truth is that we were already at a low level, especially in mathematics, which is unacceptable for a country with the 13th largest economy in terms of GDP [Produto Interno Bruto]”,

it says.

Costin draws attention to the challenges of teacher training, especially in the area of ​​exact sciences, which was also pointed out by Priscila Cruz.

Chico Soares, who was president of the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research (Inep), the body responsible for assessments such as Enem, also attributes low Brazilian results to structural problems in education. “Brazil is far below what it could be because we still don’t teach our young people to develop skills, to think, to see the importance of what they learn in their daily lives.”

*With information from Folha de S.Paulo

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