Very disturbing that children who have studied in rural schools receive an average of 20 points low

Last year a lot of discussion about higher education and have accepted the reform plan of 2010 - 2012, which together implement the Education, Finance, Economics and the Ministry of Culture, as well as a large number of other institutions. In such an uncertain model, it is difficult to understand who provide advice and who would really have these reforms promoter. Ideas are written, but how it will be implemented, not clarity.
Many of incorporation in this conception is laudable - the development of quality criteria for assessing teacher, student and teacher exchanges with foreign counterparts. Others are unnecessary and improper, for example, the target of 3% of the number of foreign students in 2012 (Canada, for the past 10 years, sought to increase the number of foreign section properties calculator students, it failed from 2 to 4.5%, but remember that Toronto, McGill and the University section properties calculator of British Colombia located in the "Times" magazine rated the world's first trīsdesmitniekā, but no Latvian University Times ranking is not mentioned). Read more in the newspaper "Diena" article. At first need to understand where and why are located.
Latvian Ministry of Education data, 113 000 students, and although it is less than in previous years, it is a very large number of the world's higher education context. By the way, how many students are in the Czech Republic, Latvian proportion of the population should be 38,000 students, compared with the level in Lithuania - 58 000, compared with Estonia - 78000, and compared with Sweden - 80 of the 000th
Is also concerned that our students' knowledge results in PISA international survey results are worse than in several of the aforementioned countries. So we have a huge number of students, although our students' knowledge is worse. How is this possible?
What is more worrying that Latvian has very little to pupils who achieve the knowledge levels 5 and 6 (test knowledge in ascending order are ranked from 1-6th level) in reading, mathematics. Latvian is less than 5% of ninth graders would classify reads 5-6th level and the total score of 484 in reading is relatively Lithuania are 3% or 468 points by 5% in the Czech Republic and 478 in Estonia and 501 8%, Sweden 10% and 497, 13% in Finland section properties calculator and 536 in Shanghai (China) and 20% 556th
In mathematics, the situation section properties calculator is similar - Latvian total score of 482 and 5% of the students' knowledge is the 5th-6th level, the Czech Republic, 493 and 12%, Sweden 12% and 494, 512 in Estonia and 12% in Finland and 25% in 580. Lithuania lower score - 477, but the more that is 5-6th category, compared with Latvia. Shanghai score of 600 and 50%.
On the same basis summarizing the results of scientific subjects, the following picture emerges - Latvian 4 and 494%, 6% in Lithuania and 491 in Sweden and 496 8%, Estonia 12% and 528, 20% in Finland and 528 in Shanghai section properties calculator 22% and 575 Summarizing data reading Latvia ranks 30th place (Estonia section properties calculator - 13), Mathematics 36 th place (EE 17), sciences 31.vietu (Estonia 9)
Very disturbing that children who have studied in rural schools receive an average of 20 points lower in any subject, the difference is even greater between the prosperous and the poor parents of children - a difference of 30 points. This is one of the main reasons why all universities stimulated (remitted tuition fees) admission of students from low-income families, as it is everywhere in the world. More about that in this article.
It is clear that students whose knowledge is the 5th-6th level, students will be well prepared for the future and be able to provide the public with a substantial intellectual contribution in any field. Although it might seem that 20-30 point difference in the PISA test is not large, the United States, economists have calculated the average success of PISA test scores section properties calculator increase from an average of 500 to 520 within the next 20 years, section properties calculator the global GDP would increase by 60 trillion lats or converting it to the Latvian population - about 1.5 billion dollars a year. This is confirmed by Ludger Wossemann from Munich University: "The best determinant of economic development for the future have internacional students' test results in mathematics and other sciences." It is clear that this will not happen in one or even five years, but in this direction would be to work actively.
Conclusions from this section are numerous. First, Estonia and China is ahead of many countries in spending on education and average income per capita section properties calculator is much higher (average income in China is four times less than Latvian) and shows - industry allocated money is important, section properties calculator but by itself will not improve our knowledge . Second, although section properties calculator it is important to reduce the youth group is 1-second level, the development of higher education, it is important to rapidly increase the number of secondary school students, whose knowledge section properties calculator is just 5 and 6 level, otherwise we will have nei