PISA 2018 findings and recommendations for education improvement, focus of OSCE-supported meeting of education experts from across BiH in Banja Luka

Seventy representatives of ministries of education, pedagogical institutes, and public universities from across Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in Banja Luka on 16 and 17 December 2019 to discuss the results of the recently published findings of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The OSCE Mission to BiH and the Agency for Pre-primary, Primary, and Secondary Education organized the workshop, where the participants discussed modalities for further qualitative and quantitative analysis of the findings.

“The OSCE Mission has supported and will continue to support the authorities in BiH in improving the quality of education,” said Kathleen Kavalec, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. “We will also provide assistance, such as on the best usage of PISA findings, and help share experiences and best practices from other countries. Many countries have used this data to drive positive change, regardless of their position in the ranking,” said Kavalec.

Maja Stojkić, Director of the Agency for Pre-primary, Primary, and Secondary Education, invited education authorities to implement urgently the Common Core Curriculum based on student learning outcomes and highlighted the importance of strengthening teacher’s competencies.

Stojkić underlined that this is under the direct responsibility of the ministries of education and pedagogical institutes. “Our work is focused on learning outcomes, knowledge, skills, and competencies that children take away from their classrooms. Through education systems in BiH, our children will learn how to apply their knowledge in practice,” said Stojkić. The Agency developed the Common Core Curriculum based on Student Learning Outcomes. Hereby we call for its implementation and for strategic decisions in the area of education based on realistic indicators received through the continuous participation in international assessments.”

Stojkić said that this workshop represents a continuation of the successful co-operation with education authorities in BiH, aimed at applying the PISA findings and recommendations in improving educational system.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to support education authorities across BiH to improve the quality and inclusivity of education by developing policies and practices based on the findings of international assessments in the area of education.