PISA survey: young Swiss are the best at maths in Europe

Swiss teenagers are the best in Europe at mathematics, according to an international survey. They are also strong at science and reading. However, Swiss education officials are unhappy with the ranking’s new methodology. Switzerland’s results for maths, science and reading were stable compared with previous years with only small changes, according to the 2015 “Programme for International Student Assessment” (PISA) published on Tuesday by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In all, 6,600 Swiss 15-year-olds took part in the survey, out of a total of 550,000 15-year-olds from 72 countries. The Swiss youngsters were ranked best for maths in Europe in 2015, just ahead of Estonia, but eighth worldwide. The top three were Singapore, China and Japan. In science, the main focus of the latest PISA study, the Swiss were ranked above the OECD average, at a level comparable to Germany. Neighbours Italy, France and Austria had ...