EduMin Anisie, after the results of the PISA tests: We can consider introducing a reading class

Minister of Education and Research Monica Anisie said on Tuesday in relation to the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests that introducing a reading class could be an option for pupils to learn how to analyse a text. 

"We must find solutions to teach children how to decipher and analyse a text at the language and communication classes, be it in Romanian or a foreign language. Because simply reading the text is not enough. This is in fact the problem here. For you know, long time ago, we did have a reading class. And that class wasn't introduced for nothing, it was precisely meant to teach pupils how to read, then analyse and then understand a text, these were the steps followed during that particular class of language and communication. (...) And maybe today, when we must rethink the framework and the curricula, perhaps based on the scientific documentation that we have now, we can refer to it and maybe, reconsider introducing that class again. Because it's important to understand and analyse, which will also help one solve a math problem, for instance," said Anisie. 

The results of the Romanian pupils in the PISA assessment tests for 2018 were worst than in the previous years. 

According to a press release of the Ministry of Education and Research, compared with the previous testing cycle, the international average saw a slight decrease (reading - 487 against 493, mathematics - 489 against 490, science knowledge - 489 against 493 in 2015). 

The trend was also recorded in our country: reading - 428 against 434 in 2015, mathematics - 430 against 444 in 2015 and science knowledge 426 against 435. The scores recorded in 2018 are higher compared with the results recorded in 2006 and 2009, but slightly lower than the ones recorded in 2015.