Sir, – For years the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) tests informed us that Finland’s educational system was a world trailblazer. Now Finland has slipped in the Pisa rankings and Estonia is supposedly the best in Europe (“Why Estonia has top marks: Lessons from Europe’s best school system”. Education, May 28th). There’s one problem – nobody can properly explain why Finland has fallen from grace. When Finland was supposedly leading the educational world there was no end of reasons given as to its apparent success. These factors to success remain in place but the country’s slide in Pisa rankings continues. Why? The elephant in the room is of course the Pisa tests themselves. Maybe they are not as accurate and reliable as many educational “experts” think? If this is part of the explanation for Finland’s supposed rise and decline then should we really pay that much attention to Pisa results? Should Pisa tests help determine what educational reforms our Government believes are necessary? Is the current lesson to be learned from Estonia one of caution? – Yours, etc,
SEAN KEAVNEY,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.