There has been dismay and pledges for action across Europe after it was revealed on Tuesday that maths and reading skills among pupils have declined across the world, largely due to digitalisation and a drop in recreational reading.
The OECD's latest PISA report, based on a standardised test taken by 15-year-olds, found that student performance across OECD countries reached a record low in maths and reading.
Within the EU, pupils in Spain, Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta, Greece, Romania, Cyprus, and Bulgaria score below the OECD average in reading, mathematics and science skills.
Only Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Austria, Poland and Czechia managed to secure a mean performance above the average.
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray deplores what he called the “cognitive destruction” of young people and acknowledged that France needed to take action to reverse course.
