Pisa: 1 in 5 students faces a lack of teachers – 12/07/2023 – Education

One in every five Brazilian students studies in schools that face a shortage of teachers, according to data from Pisa 2022. According to the international assessment report, the data shows that, globally, schools with a shortage of teachers recorded lower performance in mathematics.

The information was obtained from questionnaires administered to school directors who took the Pisa test. The data shows that 22.3% of Brazilian students study in units where the lack of teachers has hampered academic activities.

They also point out that 11.7% of students were harmed by taking classes with teachers without training in the area in which they teach.

In 2018, these situations affected 17.6% and 11.3% of Brazilian students, respectively.

Pisa 2022 assessed 690,000 15-year-old students, in 81 countries and regions around the world. In Brazil, the test was administered to 10,798 students from 599 schools.

The Pisa report warned of an increasing teacher shortage across the world. Among OECD member countries, 46.7% of students had their school activities hampered due to a lack of teachers. In 2018, this rate was 26.1%.

“Pisa results show that between 2018 and 2022, more than half of educational systems had an increase in students who were disadvantaged due to a lack of teachers or because they had classes with teachers without adequate training”, highlighted the document.

“The data shows that most systems were more affected by the lack of professionals than by the shortage of materials”, he says.

The report also pointed out that schools affected by a lack of teachers had lower results in mathematics.

Globally, student performance in mathematics saw the biggest drop in the period between 2018 and 2022. The OECD average in this area fell from 487 points to 472. The 15 point reduction represents a learning loss of half a school year in a lifetime of students.

Historically, it is in mathematics that Brazil faces the greatest difficulty in ensuring adequate learning for its students. In the last two decades, the lowest scores in the country were in this area of ​​knowledge. In Pisa 2022, the Brazilian average in mathematics was 379 points, compared to 384 in 2018.

Several studies and national data indicate that Brazil has difficulty training teachers for exact science subjects. Information from Inep (National Institute of Educational Studies and Research) shows that 70% of those entering degrees in this area abandon their degrees.

In mathematics degrees, for example, only 30% of entrants complete the courses.

The low completion rate is a consequence of an accumulation of academic difficulties that freshmen carry from basic education, in addition to the low attractiveness of the teaching career.

Many education systems in the country are already suffering from a lack of teachers. Even São Paulo, the richest state in the federation, faces difficulty filling its teaching staff. A study by Semesp (an entity that represents private colleges) calculates that by 2040 Brazil will have a deficit of 240,000 teachers – with the exact area being the most affected.