School council chief calls for shared responsibility after PISA decline

Faroese pupils’ reading results have worsened significantly, prompting the head of the Faroese School Council to call for responsibility across society, KVF reports.

Pupils scored an average of 428 PISA points in reading, 19 points fewer than in 2022. Forty-two per cent are now below the threshold for functional reading literacy.

Jónleif Johannesen, chairman of the Faroese School Council, said the result did not come as a surprise.

“Now we must all take a hard look at ourselves: pupils, teachers, parents and society as a whole,” he said. “We must also have greater respect for the school system.”

Boys performed particularly poorly. Girls scored an average of 449 points in reading, compared with 407 for boys. The gender gap is the widest since the Faroe Islands joined PISA in 2006.

Johannesen said reversing the trend would require changes both in schools and in society’s attitude towards education.

“We must all take responsibility for our part,” he said.