Jane Dodds MS responds to the latest PISA figures

The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds MS has given a statement following this year’s PISA results which have seen education figures fall 3% below the national average. Jane Dodds MS said:

“I was, as I’m sure many others were, disappointed to see how poorly Wales has performed in this year’s PISA results.

Back in 2016 the then Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Minister Kirsty Williams launched an ambitious programme of reform for our schools. And the results in the years following showed that these reforms were bearing fruit.

From 2015 and up to 2018, figures across Maths, Science and English were improving in Wales which saw the largest growth in test results amongst the home nations.

But now we are being presented with figures that are 3% below the international average.

Whilst I acknowledge that the Covid pandemic did have an impact on our educational system, it does however feel like Welsh Labour are hiding behind the fallout of the pandemic to hide the fact that they have dropped the ball on education.

Our schools are facing huge challenges with the current funding crisis, and these results have proven that the Welsh Government must get their act together and tackle this problem.

We must provide the very best education for our young people here in Wales, our teachers know this and work admirably under such huge pressure.

But now the Welsh Government must step in and back our teachers and our schools, so that we can strive for better.”