Hello everyone, I'm your financial journalist and economist. Today, we're not talking about a bunch of cold, dry statistics, but rather the results of a global assessment of "the next generation's competitiveness."
Recently, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) scores for 2025. You can think of it as a global "final exam" for 15-year-old students. The results were quite dramatic: on one hand, some provinces in China and Singapore continued to lead the pack, while on the other hand, traditional European education powerhouses like Germany and France saw a sharp decline in their scores, hitting record lows in 25 years.
What exactly is going on? Have the Europeans become less intelligent? Or has our education model won? Let's break down this with simple language.
Who's Leading? China's "Four Provinces" and Singapore's "Top Student Alliance"
First, let's look at who did well. The PISA test covered three core areas: science, mathematics, and reading. The results showed that students from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang in China, and Singapore once again ranked among the top in the world.
- Not just high scores: In the newly added "computational thinking and problem-solving" section, students from Macau, Singapore, and the aforementioned Chinese provinces scored over 560 points, far above the OECD average of 500.
- High significance: PISA tests 15-year-olds, who have just completed basic education and haven't yet entered university. This means that these students maintain strong competitiveness in logical thinking and foundational academic skills.
What's Happening in Europe? Germany and France's "Historic Defeat"
If China and Singapore are the "top students," then Europe failed this time, especially Germany and France, whose scores dropped significantly.
- Germany: A 25-Year Low, Even Worse than the US?
- Germany is often called the "economic engine" of Europe, but its PISA scores were the worst in 25 years.
- Specific numbers: Both mathematics and reading scores were below the OECD average. In mathematics, Germany ranked 26th, only one place above the US, which is remarkable considering its reputation for rigorous science and engineering education.
- Reading Crisis: German students' reading scores plummeted by 15 points, with a third of them failing to meet basic reading and math requirements.
- France: Losing Traditional Strengths:
- France used to be strong in mathematics, but this time it dropped 8 places in the rankings, with both reading and math scores declining significantly.
- Overall Trend: OECD countries as a whole saw a decline, with average reading and math scores dropping by more than 20 points from 2015. This indicates that it's not an isolated issue for any one country; it's a systemic decline in basic education worldwide.
Why the Decline? Three "Hidden Killers" Eroding Children's Abilities
Experts like Zhao Yongsheng and the OECD report point to several key reasons, which we can understand as three "killers":
1. The Aftermath of the "Fragmented" Information Age:
- Phenomenon: Children today grow up in an environment filled with short videos, social media, and fragmented information.
- Consequences: This greatly weakens their ability to concentrate and remember details. The PISA reading section tests the ability to understand long texts deeply. Children accustomed to 15-second videos struggle with academic articles.
- Data Support: Germany's plummeting reading scores are a direct reflection of this issue.
2. The "Double-Edged Sword" of AI:
- Phenomenon: Over 40% of students use AI to write essays and do research weekly or even daily.
- Consequences: Studies show that students who use AI for academic tasks score 20 points lower on average than those who don't.
- Logic: AI is powerful, but it replaces the process of thinking. If children rely on AI for answers, they lose the ability to think independently, derive formulas, and organize language.
3. Fiscal Tightening and "Short-Sighted" Education Investment:
- Phenomenon: Europe has faced financial challenges in recent years, with budgets shifting towards military spending due to geopolitical tensions.
- Consequences: Education budgets have been cut, especially for basic education.
- Expert Opinion: Zhao Yongsheng emphasizes that education investments take 5-10 years to show results. Politicians, seeking short-term gains, are reluctant to invest in education, leading to reduced funding. Both France and Germany have seen a significant decrease in basic education spending. It's like trying to run on an empty stomach; poor performance is inevitable.
A Deeper Crisis: The Collapse of Educational Equity and "Class Segregation"
In addition to the above reasons, there's a more profound and concerning issue: the gap between schools is widening, and this gap is closely linked to social class.
- Vicious Cycle of "Selection and Segregation:**
- In countries like Iceland and Finland, the differences between schools are minimal, and everyone starts on a similar level.
- In Germany, over 50% of the score variation is due to the type of school. Good schools attract top students, while poor schools attract less capable ones.
- Critical Point: When this academic segregation is combined with family background (socio-economic status), it becomes a problem. The PISA coordinator in Germany said, "The impact of socio-economic status on academic performance is three times that of Canada."
- Result: Children from wealthy families attend good schools and perform well; those from poor families attend poor schools and perform poorly. Education, which should be a ladder to change fate, has become a barrier to social mobility. German Chancellor Merkel acknowledged this as a problem that needs to be addressed by all federal states.
Future Implications: How Should We Respond?
This report is not just a reflection on the past but also a warning for the future. For individuals, parents, and policymakers, here are some key takeaways:
1. Embrace Change, but Don't Give Up: As researcher Zhao Yongsheng says, "After careful consideration, we must embrace change." AI and social media are irreversible trends.
- The key is not to ban children from using AI or phones, but to teach them how to use them effectively. Education should shift from imparting knowledge to fostering critical thinking and deep concentration.
2. Basic Education is a "Slow Variable"; Don't Seek Quick Results: Investment in education should not be based on short-term GDP gains. Cutting education budgets harms a country's long-term talent competitiveness.
3. Be Alert to the侵蚀 of "Attention Economy" on Thinking: As parents and educators, we need to protect children's time for deep reading and independent thinking. In an era of fragmented information, the ability to focus and read long texts will become increasingly valuable.
4. Educational Equity is the Foundation of Social Stability: The cases of Germany and France show that if education systems cannot reduce class disparities, social tensions will worsen. Future reforms should focus on narrowing the gap between schools and ensuring that every child receives quality education, regardless of background.
In summary, the 2025 PISA results reflect the resilience of East Asian education in foundational skills and the vulnerability of European education systems to digital challenges, fiscal constraints, and equity issues.
For us all, this reminds us that in an era dominated by AI and fragmented information, true competitiveness lies in deep thinking, independent judgment, and continuous learning. This is crucial regardless of where we live.