PISA: Can India uplift its position in International Educational Ranking?
“Rather than making our students learn different contents, it is important that students should learn application of their content knowledge in different 21st century contexts,” says the draft mathematics framework for PISA 2021.
At a time when information is in everyone’s pocket digitally in mobiles, it is quite irrelevant to continue with a system of education which primarily focuses on cognitive domain. In order to produce a comparable data on education policies across countries Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been conducting tests, named as PISA – Programme for International Students Assessment, among students in more than 70 countries focusing mostly on the critical and creative thinking. It is a triennial test for evaluation of learning outcome and application skill of 15 year old students who have completed free and compulsory education. “Rather than making our students learn different contents, it is important that students should learn application of their content knowledge in different 21st century contexts,” says the draft mathematics framework for PISA 2021.
How is PISA conducted?
Under PISA students are tested in three items like Reading Literacy, Mathematical Literacy and Scientific Literacy which is interdisciplinary in nature. Students also complete an extensive background questionnaire, and Principals complete a survey describing the context of education at their schools, including resources, teachers’ qualification etc. The data collected both from test and survey are published which helps countries analyze where they stand in the international scenario on a common testing criterion.
PISA in India…
After a very dismal performance in its first appearance in PISA 2009, conducted every three years since 1995, India is again all set to take up this test again in 2021. Three major pace making institutions like Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and The Union Territory of Chandigarh have been assigned the responsibility to represent India in the forthcoming Test, for which preparations are on in full swing. New curriculum transaction and assessment practices are being implemented in these institutions so that students reason mathematically and use content knowledge to describe, explain and predict phenomena. With the hope of significant improvement in International Educational Ranking, India also aims to enable its students to brave out 21st century challenges.
Need of the hour…
The rapid pace with which changes are happening around us, leads us to think how the coming generation needs to prepare for the times to come. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Conceptual Understanding are emerging as the key parameters of learning. The relevance of information is losing value but the ways and means of processing that information are progressively becoming relevant.
“We need to look at PISA as an intervention that will not only make our education more relevant for current times but also make it future proof. Classroom transaction must focus on contextual application of content learning and evaluation needs to be remodeled in a similar manner,” says the teachers’ handbook prepared collaboratively by CBSE, KVS, NVS and Chandigarh administration. Whereas the MHRD is optimistic about India, growing high in International education ranking, Educationists are very much enthusiastic that PISA may provide substantial evidences about where our students are lacking and how to make improvements in our education system.
Prasanta Kumar Mahapatra is Trained Graduate Teacher (Mathematics) at Kendriya Vidyalaya Kandhamal, Odisha.
He has 20 years of experience in teaching and has mentored more than 5000 students.
He has authored two poetry collections in Odia and many literary and educational articles in newspapers and magazines in English and Odia. He has been awarded Regional Incentive Award from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Bhubaneswar region for his effective and innovative teaching.