Increased class time for young pupils, enhanced evaluations, and public reading campaigns – these are just a few of the 45 recommendations that the PISA committee submitted to the Minister for Education and Culture, Jógvani á Lakjuni.
Recommendations on PISA initiatives
Increased class time for young pupils, enhanced evaluations, and public reading campaigns – these are just a few of the 45 recommendations that the PISA committee submitted to the Minister for Education and Culture, Jógvani á Lakjuni.
The task force was appointed by the Minister after the results of the PISA pilot study were announced. According to the task group, the recommendations are aimed at not only strengthening the competency of students but also primary school administration.
In all, the task force recommended 45 action points, including the following:
• Children begin first grade at the age of six
• Education compulsory for 10 years
• Strengthen elementary instruction
• Strengthen the science curriculum
• Strengthen school administration
• Special programs for children with special needs
• Additional class time focused on specialised needs
• Improve co-operation with parents; encourage parents to take responsibility for their children doing their homework
• Organise public reading campaigns designed to encourage parents to read more with their children
• Strengthen the book publishing policy via increased appropriations
• Longer opening hours for school libraries
• Greater emphasis on reading at school
• Undertake systematic evaluations by e.g. national tests in Faroese spelling, maths, reading comprehension, and science in classes 4 to 6
• Tests in general proficiency in Faroese and Maths in classes 2, 4 and 6
• Standardised national curricula
• Specialists evaluate teaching and report on the effectiveness of the teaching
• School administration evaluated by specialists from e.g. OECD
• Knowledge used for future changes
• Decentralise the elementary schools to the municipalities in accordance with the co-operation procedure that the Ministry of the Interior recommends in the Act on Voluntary Merging of Municipalities
• Municipalities assume full responsibility for school and public libraries
The committee’s report – in Faroese – is available on the homepage of the Ministry of Education and Culture www.mmr.fo.
Ministry of Education and Culture: telephone: +298 355050