Bangalore: In two hour tests that were conducted by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Indian children came out ranking second-last, outrunning only Kyrgyzstan of the 73 countries who participated. The tests that are conducted annually to evaluate education systems around the world consisted of rounds that tested the 15 year olds’ reading, science, and math abilities.

Chinese students from Shanghai topped the all the tests, and led the analysis to note that more than 25 percent of Shanghai’s 15 year olds had advanced mathematical skills to solve complex problems, while the OECD  average was just 3 percent. Students from Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh who were selected as a result of the two states’ exemplary development and education finished second and third to last, while Kyrgyzstan lagged behind them.

The tests in English reading also saw similar results, while in the science tests students from Tamil Nadu came out third-last, followed by Kyrgyzstan and  Himachal Pradesh.

Over 200 points separate the average Indian student from the position of the global topper. While 11 percent of students from Himachal Pradesh have the proficiency of reading that is at or above the minimum required to participate in life, it also shows that the other 89 percent is below the baseline in this regard. Tamil Nadu students fared a little better than those from the other state, but their scores were below the OECD average said experts who compared scores.

 The experts estimated an Indian eighth grader is at par with a South Korean third grader with regard to mathematical skills and a second-grade Shanghai student in reading skills.