Student evaluation in Peru reveals discouraging results

Peru’s Ministry of Education presented the results of an evaluation that was conducted among 305,135 second-grade school kids in December 2006. The test covered Peru’s poorest areas only partially otherwise the results could be even worse.For example, the reading examination presented some very discouraging results: only 26% completed the test at an “optimal level” (level 3). The test called Evaluación Censal de Comprensión de Lectura lasted 50 minutes and was divided in two parts: one for reading and oration and the other one for text understanding.

“According to Peru’s curricular design, all evaluated children should have reached this level”, explained Carlos Pizano, national secretary of the ministry’s strategic planning department. However, the evaluation represents only 44% of the students who attend this grade because the teacher’s union SUTEP, who opposed the evaluation, had summoned a strike for the test dates. In addition, Peru’s poorest regions like Huancavelica, Ayacucho and Cajamarca were only partially covered and many children refused to take the test.

29.2% of the evaluated scholars reached level 2, which means they could deduce ideas from the text, but neither the actual contextual meaning of the words they read, nor the main idea. Another 29.1% reached level 1, the groups of minors who couldn’t find any information in the text. 15.8% of the students understood absolutely nothing.

Previously, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) conducted its own research in Peru, but only among first graders. The results weren’t positive either: only 12% of the children could comprehend what they were reading.

The results present other interesting data. When comparing the results by state and particular schools, the differences are striking. Only 20.9% of the kids attending public schools reached the highest level compared to 41.6% at private schools.

“When we compare private and public education we must consider that the majority of the kids come from different social and cultural backgrounds. Many families do not have the means to support their children. Sure, there are private schools that make an effort to provide a good education, but others see only their profits. To think that the school’s origin is the decisive factor here is not the correct thing to do”, said the ex-president of the National Council of Education, Father Ricardo Morales.

A survey among 1,500 people made by an educative forum indicates that half the population believes that the education in private schools is better because teachers are more persistent. However, four out of ten choose to register their children in state schools because education is gratuitous. 47% of the interviewed people believe that the low quality of teachers is one of the problems that affects the scholars learning curve.

According to these test results, the difference between private and public schools is certainly obvious but not that significant as it was commonly expected.

Article by Wolfy Becker