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''' '' PHEW -TEACHERS
- PHEW '' '''
IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD - FOR 100% SURE - TEACHING is a least desirable profession, and teachers are unmotivated - underqualified and under-resourced.
IN 2019 somewhere in a developing country a group of fourth graders was shown a picture depicting a scene in a desert, It had a camel walking through the sand, a reptile perched on a rock, a spider on a cactus and a long bug on a plant, with the sun and some clouds in the sky above mountain range rising in the background.
Students were asked to name two living things in the pictures. Only 34-percent of them were able to answer the question correctly.
The IEA - [ International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement ] at Boston's College's Lynch School of Education publishes the results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS ].
TIMSS has been monitoring trends in mathematics and science achievements every four years at, at grade 4 and grade 8 levels over the last 25 years by conducting sample-based testing in countries around the world.
The latest TIMSS assessment of grades 4 and 8 for mathematics and sciences took place in 2019. It was the first time Proud Pakistan participated and we contested only for grade 4 assessments.
According to a government official, participation cost us RS 24.7 million. The assessment report just came out.
The test question described above was one of many that students were asked in the TIMSS science assessment for grade 4. Among the 64 participating countries, Pakistan stands second from the bottom in both grade 4 science and mathematics learning.
It is not that students were given questions that were too challenging and beyond their level of understanding. Indeed, according to the National Curriculum 2006, the question is considered appropriate for grade 2.
Interestingly, though, when grade 4 science achievement scores are analyzed for gender disparity, Pakistan has the fourth largest skew towards girls. Analysis of test scores in all areas of mathematics [numbers, measurement & geometry, data] and cognitive domains [knowing, applying, reasoning] also skew favorably towards girls.
Every four years, the TIMSS report reiterates the same lessons. Supportive household environment, house-hold wealth [other research suggests per capita GDP], emphasis on literacy and numeracy, pre-primary education, school Principal's years of education and experience, school emphasis on academic success, school safety, discipline and no-tolerance towards bullying.
These are all factors positively correlated with academic achievement. Absenteeism, hunger, tiredness, dislike of the subject, and lack of confidence are negatively correlated with academic achievement.
Cultural differences between society means that there is not a single way to get education right. Finland and South Korea both among the global top-scorers, have famously different approaches.
Finland spends a modest share of the GDP and pays the teachers decent, but not extraordinary, salaries. One could argue that the Finland approach relies on tight social cohesion and a shared sense of responsibility to achieve its performance.
South Korea on the other hand, spends generously on teachers, with the best among them achieving a kind of popular rock star status.
To demonstrate that merely throwing money at the problem is not a solution, Saudi Arabia also spends a great deal of its GDP on education, but its performance on the TIMSS is only a few ranks above Pakistan.
WHETHER YOU LOOK AT FINLAND - SOUTH KOREA, SINGAPORE or any other high scoring country - the one commonality that all share is talented, capable and motivated teachers.
Without this essential building block, no SNC no new Educational policy, no amount of money will make a difference.
This conclusion is not a new one, but this time it comes packaged in the form of an international report of repute, which shows us our performance relative to rest of the world.
Maybe that will help convey this lesson to the ears that need to hear it - because TIMSS says so.
The Honor and Serving of the Latest Global Operational; Research and Publishing on Education, and Teachers, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Dr. Ayesha Razzaque, a PhD in Education from Michigan State University.
With respectful dedication to the Leaders, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :
''' TIMSS - TIMES '''
Good Night and God Bless
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