Figures published this week by the OECD reveal that Wales has for the fourth time in a decade finished significantly behind all other UK nations in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This marks a “decade of underachievement”, according to AM for Montgomeryshire, Russell George.
The triennial report - which measures the aptitude of 15-year-old children from 72 countries in Maths, Science and Reading – shows that Wales has again scored beneath the OECD average on these subjects.
Despite making modest progress in maths since the last assessment in 2012, the results, which were reported by Kirsty Williams AM, Cabinet Secretary for Education, in a statement to the National Assembly for Wales, also reveal that Wales has gone backwards in reading and science. All scores are lower than they were in the first assessment 10 years ago.
Russell George, who is also Chair of the National Assembly Committee which scrutinises Welsh Government policy on skills joined Welsh Conservative colleagues in saying:
“These results show that the Welsh Government must develop a clear strategy to improve future performance.
"Our children deserve a first class education system that is world-beating, but today's PISA rankings show that successive Welsh Governments have failed to deliver one.
"In spite of all the tough talking and promises to do better from the First Minister, today's figures place us, yet again, in the bottom half of the global education league table and re-confirm Wales' status as the worst performing school system in the UK.
"That our results in 2015 were actually worse than in 2006 signifies a decade of underachievement.
"Instead of downplaying the importance of these results for our young people and the future of the Welsh economy, the Cabinet Secretary must go back to the drawing board to develop a clear strategy with measurable targets that will turn this performance around - our children and our young people deserve nothing less."