Welsh Conservatives have warned that Labour Ministers could be set to wriggle out of their target for next year’s PISA tests as the First Minister failed to commit to the goal.
Welsh Labour Ministers have a target of Wales achieving a top 20 place in the 2015 PISA tests, despite barely achieving a place in the top 40 in the last round, ranking alongside Israel, Lithuania and Slovenia.
The latest PISA results ranked Wales as the worst performing part of the UK in key skills.
An OECD report into Welsh education standards, published earlier this month, concluded:
“The pace of reform has been high and lacks a long-term vision, an adequate school improvement infrastructure and a clear implementation strategy all stakeholders share.”
At First Minister’s Questions, the Labour Leader Carwyn Jones failed to endorse the top 20 PISA target, sparking concerns that the Labour-run Welsh Government may be trying to drop what it sees as an unachievable goal.
Andrew RT Davies AM, Leader of the Opposition, said, “After 15 years of successive Labour Governments, Wales is dragging along the bottom of UK educational league tables.
“In maths, science and reading, Wales ranks alongside Israel, Slovenia and Lithuania rather than competing in the global race with some of the best performing OECD nations.
“Carwyn Jones had a clear target of achieving a top 20 place for Wales in next year’s PISA tests in key skills, but now may be set to drop the target because it’s looking increasingly unachievable.
“The OECD has recently reiterated concerns about a lack of long-term vision, poor teacher training and poor policy implementation, originally made in 2007, showing how Labour has, in education terms, wasted the past six years.
“This is a typical Labour spin trick when key performance targets are being missed, they get quietly ditched.
“A generation of young people have completed their compulsory schooling under 15 years of failing Labour Governments and ‘systemic failure’ in education.
“A child only has one shot at their schooling and one chance to prepare for the global race and the world of work. No more Welsh children should be let down by a lazy labour Government.”
