Peruvian education and PISA tests: Manipulation of figures or
Paradox?
The myth of the cavern is a metaphorical explanation, made
by Plato (VII book of the Republic) on the situation of the human being with
respect to knowledge. Plato explains how we can grasp the existence of the two
worlds: the sensible world (known through the senses) and the intelligible
world (accessible only through the exclusive use of reason). The cave is a dark
place, in which a group of men are found, prisoners from their birth and
fastened by chains that only allow them to look towards the bottom wall of the
cavern without ever being able to turn their heads. Behind them, there is a
wall with a corridor, a bonfire and the entrance of the cave that leads to the
exterior. Through the corridor of the wall men circulate carrying all kinds of
objects whose shadows, thanks to the lighting of the bonfire, are projected on
the wall that the prisoners can see.
The chained men consider the shadows of objects as truth.
They, because of their condition as prisoners, are condemned to accept for
certain each and every one of the projected shadows, since they can not know
anything of what happens behind their backs.
What is the purpose of using this metaphor? In Peruvian
education there is a serious quality problem that is accentuated over time,
despite the greater amount of money allocated to the Education sector, despite
the demands of society and the need to have a population with a higher level of
education for Be competitive as a nation in a world where abundant natural
wealth is no longer the foundation of economic growth and further development.
Nowadays, countries that, in addition to achieving adequate
and sustained growth, have also achieved levels of development that allow their
population to enjoy better living conditions, are not characterized by abundant
natural resources, but a population with a level of Education that facilitates
access to the modern world, to be competitive, to create and innovate the
services and high technology products that are only achieved when education not
all levels (basic, secondary and university) form and develop personal skills
and professions of higher level.
Some countries that serve as examples are Singapore, South
Korea, Japan, Israel. Other countries have natural resources but no longer
depend exclusively on them (China, the United States, Germany, Canada,
Australia)
In Peru, there is a misinformation about the reality of
education (quality, purposes, results, quality and destination of an
increasingly large budget); Peruvian society is bound to be like the prisoners
of the caverns who must believe the truth of the shadows (official lies,
manipulated figures, half truths); Those who manage to free themselves from
those chains and have access to the corridor can see the truth, the origin of
the deception and the way the people are deceived.
Who assumes the role of free prisoners who can see the
truth? People with critical and free thinking, people who have been or are
professors in universities without prestige and who know that the performance
of the students who come from high school is depressing and that the task of
teaching them what corresponds to the chosen carrier is Impossible or very
difficult. Teaching is an art and who is
a true artist can achieve results with these students; thus, one of the first
activities is to help them recover their self-esteem and awareness of their
value to young people who, more than beneficiaries, were victims of a perverse
educational system, while addressing the task of teaching the specific course.
With art and patience you can achieve results, but you have
to be in a way an iconoclast to adopt own educational methods, innovative and
creative, discarding the traditional method that is sterile and voids the will
and learning ability of young people. The teaching in these universities (more
than 80% of Peruvian universities) is like sailing with a large crew in a
flimsy boat, poorly built, with a huge crew that should be taught little by
little what to do. With luck and control it is possible to overcome bad weather
and arrive at the destination port.
This allegory is valid in particular cases, in isolated
courses, but together, the few competent teachers are forced by circumstances
to mimic and coexist with mediocrity, teach little or nothing and end up
trapped by the vortex of the absence of quality Academic The final result,
professionals with undeserved titles that in many cases do not meet the minimum
conditions to perform as a success in the respective field. Exceptions exist,
but a society that wants to grow and develop does not need a competent
professional to be an isolated and exceptional case, it needs everyone to be.
On the other hand, teaching in top universities (I mention
some: PUCP, Lima, Pacific, UNMSM, Cayetano Heredia, UNI and others) is easier,
it is like sailing on a great boat, with good weather and with each member of
the crew prepared to do what it deserves. The young people who arrive there are
usually better prepared and have more personal conditions to accept and respond
to major educational challenges. With them you can work at the level of the
best universities in the world, and the results will be real and tangible. They
are the exceptions of the poor quality of the Peruvian educational system. Of
course, professionals will have better and more skills and abilities to
successfully operate in a competitive world.
One fact that reveals the poor quality and the disparity of
the universities in Peru is the following. Academic activities (classes,
research and other activities) that usually take place in a semester in a
university with little prestige, can be developed in a week or two at a
prestigious university. It is the quality of the students and the ability of
the teacher, although I reiterate that a teacher with enough skill and honesty,
a true teacher, can achieve impossible goals in universities without reputation
and although not reached the level of the best, does not stay so shamefully
behind. Unfortunately, there are some courses and nothing more.
Also prisoners who escape from the cavern are people who
know directly or indirectly the corruption in every level, every modality,
circumstance and time that exists in the Ministry of Education. Detection of
cases, magnitude, responsibility and application of sanctions (which of course
will never occur in a hypercorrupt state) corresponds to the Comptroller
General and other institutions; only one case is mentioned that is the tip of
the iceberg. The proliferation, inconsistency, lack of educational purpose of
the "consultancies" or contracts for supervisions. Nothing or almost
nothing that is mentioned in the terms of reference is fulfilled or performed
or is useful to improve the quality of education, they are only a pretext to
assign fictive tasks to friends or distribute money to create the feeling of
" Capacity and cost effectiveness ".
Can we know who are the ones who create the shadows? Mass
media (not to be “incommunication means”?), the press that to win contracts
must publish what clients (ministries and other public entities) want,
ministries and other interest groups. In the current government we can observe
the accumulated disasters in the previous government, but the problem of the
creation of shadows and disinformation has been present in all the governments.
Let's look at some facts. A graph shows that Peru will reach
the OECD average of the PISA tests in 21 years. As Peruvian, I am happy with
the news although with a really efficient, creative and determined management,
the deadline should be shorter (there are countries that achieved that goal in
less time). It is surprising, however, that Brazil and Chile will NEVER REACH
THE OECD AVERAGE. Any educated Peruvian, without a complex of inferiority or
irrational hatred, with a minimum of culture knows and recognizes the
superiority of the Chilean educational system with respect to the Peruvian,
knows and recognizes that in previous PISA tests Chiles always exceed Peru,
then affirm that they are now in grotesque decline that leads to the
impossibility of overcoming or improving is a crude lie, an exaggerated
exaggeration or an assertion proper to an extreme religious fanatic. It is not
a question of patriotism, but of reading the true meaning of the words or
figures shown.
Basic education (primary and secondary) is the prelude to
higher education. The quality of students at the basic level determines the
quality of universities. Students from Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan aspire to
universities like those in those countries; the students of the Peruvian
educational system would not be prepared to pass through one of these
universities, since their intention is only to obtain a professional title
without any importance in the acquisition of professional skills. Can the
University of Singapore apply for a Peruvian high school graduate who does not
know how to multiply 5 by nine or calculate the area of a
triangle? Exceptional students would if they succeeded, but the absolute
majority never. If the truth is the one that shows, the Peruvian universities
should be in university rankings in the first places and advancing continuously
towards the first positions, whereas the Brazilian and Chilean universities
should be in free fall towards the last places.
Someone may question and say that you pay for appearing in a
privileged position. Would the best universities have money and will to pay
quotas and bribes to be mentioned in a certain place in the ranking? It is
unlikely since academic achievement speaks for itself.
For example, three rankings of universities in Latin America
are presented. The three predominate Brazilian, Chilean and Mexican
universities. The Peruvian universities that appear are those that every
Peruvian recognizes as the best (the others would appear in a ranking that
reaches 20,000 or more)
1. The Google Scholar Ranking, a database that is based on
the number of citations or references by each university (Details of the
classification methods can be reviewed in the corresponding web pages). Rankings
based on Google Scholar Citations.
2. The ranking of the best universities in Latin America,
conducted by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British company specialized in the
field of education, which shows the top 300 by 2016.
Brazil remains the absolute leader of the region according to
the ranking (the University of São Paulo occupies the first place), Argentina
and Ecuador show remarkable progress. At the same time, Peru's higher education
is stalled.
This year's study includes a new evaluation criterion called
the "international research network", which measures the number of
external links obtained by a university. International activity represents a
challenge to raise the level of research carried out by the centers, as well as
to attract the best students and academics from abroad. This last field
complements the 7 excellence factors established in the classification, such as
academic and business reputation, the quality of research and teaching and the
international impact of the findings.
In the ranking of 2016 participated the universities of 20
Latin American countries. Brazil is the best positioned country in the regional
ranking, with 76 universities among the 300 best in the region. Mexico ranks
second, with 45 universities, while Colombia has left behind Argentina and
Chile with 41 university centers. Brazilians occupy four of the ten best
positions in Latin American universities.
Chile, Mexico and Colombia are represented in the list by
two universities among the top ten. The most significant progress compared to
last year is played by Argentina, because 19 of its 34 higher education
institutions have improved their score on the list.
The Peruvian universities suffer a striking stagnation, with
only two of the 16 best university centers that the country has improving its
positions in the ranking.
3. Times Higher Education Ranking. The English publication
Times Higher Education (THE) has for years produced the rankings of the best
universities in the world and for the
first time did so with Latin American
universities this year.
Brazil is the country most represented in the table, with 23
of the top 50 places, including the top two and half of the top ten. The
University of San Pablo and the State University of Campinhas, occupy the first
and second place, respectively.
Chile and Mexico have 11 and 8 positions, respectively,
while Colombia has four universities in the ranking. Chile is the second most
represented country, led by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (in
third position) and the University of Chile (fourth). Mexico also has two
representatives in the top ten: the Monterrey Technological and Advanced
Studies Institute (eighth) and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
(ninth). The list of the 10 best is completed with the University of the Andes,
Colombia.
In total, seven countries are represented in the list of 50
best, including Costa Rica, Peru and Venezuela, although they do not appear in
the rankings of THE best universities in the world.
The methodology used "uses the same 13 performance
indicators as the rankings of the world's universities, but they have been
adapted to reflect the qualities of Latin American institutions." As a
result, there is less weight or weighting in the "citations"
indicator and the research limit has been reduced from 1000 to 500 documents
over a period of five years, to reflect the lower publication volumes in the
region.
Universities are judged through their central missions -
education, research, knowledge transfer, international perspective and the
incorporation of graduates - to provide the most complete and balanced
comparisons available.
Carolina Guzmán-Valenzuela, a researcher at the University
of Chile, told THE that Brazil's success in the ranking reflects its high
research yields, high patent production and high research and development
spending, which represents a percentage of 1.15%, compared to its neighbors in
the region, such as Mexico (0.42%) and Chile (0.36%). Peru has 0.15%
In these circumstances, it is neither logical nor true, to
say that education in Brazil and Chile is declining and "will never reach
the OECD average." Again, we insist that students who come from basic
education are fed by universities. If the basic education in Brazil or Chile
declines, while its universities are considered among the best in Latin
America, and some are the privileged places in the world ranking, then there is
a contradiction, a mental aberration that can only be accepted if the following
conditions are strictly stated.
A) The students of the best Chilean and Brazilian
universities are neither Chilean nor Brazilian, they are foreigners (they come
from Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and other countries attracted by the quality of
Chilean universities) or perhaps they are Peruvians from the "wonderful
and magical "Peruvian educational system. Anyone, but not Chileans or
Brazilians because they are not prepared to be students of a prestigious
university.
B) The universities mentioned in the Ranking pay the
organizations that build the rankings. It is known that corruption in Brazil is
immense, but this situation is presented at the level of companies, businesses
with the Brazilian government or with other tropical governments, but not in
universities. (In Peru, this may be so, because many universities come from
funds linked to illicit activities, but they are not interested in ranking
because it is more profitable to work like this). The academic quality of a
university takes away those who prefer mediocrity and simplicity.
C) In all the Brazilian and Chilean universities that appear
in the rankings there are no libraries, newspapers or research centers. And if
there is a library, it is only to appear academic seriousness
In Peru, many universities do not have a library, the few
that exist are literally painted on the wall, students never come to them
because they need nothing more than the impression of a PowerPoint presentation
to approve the courses or the books are obsolete, in poor condition.
It is possible that there are detractors of everything
stated, and I am willing to accept the dissenting opinion and change my mind if
the truth of the last three statements is demonstrated conclusively and with
facts. In that case, if I can believe that Peruvian education will reach the
OECD average in 21 years or less and that Brazil and Chile will never reach
that average. At last, you could beat Chile to something.
As a Peruvian I fervently hope that the education system
will improve, that it will reach higher levels and that it will gradually
improve the quality of universities, because otherwise it will never advance as
a society. What would happen if, at the same time as the OECD PISA average is
reached or exceeded, at least half of Peruvian universities already have a
decent level of quality?
For the moment, I am out of the cave and I refuse to see the
shadows presented to us by the manipulators of society to protect their
interests. So far, everything seems like a rough manipulation of figures to
look like results that never existed.
There are critical voices regarding the usefulness and
objectives of the PISA tests, they speak of interests and management that are
not transparent but in any case serve as a spur, a stimulus to provoke
reactions and do what is necessary to improve the quality of education.
Singapore, with or without participation in the PISA tests,
had the vision and will to achieve educational excellence and has achieved it.
When they applied the PISA tests they were already prepared to always figure
among the first. In Peru it is a reaction and in an inappropriate way, that is
why there is no progress in the quality of education.
Singapore did it because it is a rich country and Peru, a poor
country? A fallacy bigger than the Chinese wall. The individual and social
attitude, the ethos, vision and leadership that are left over in Singapore are
the critical factors that are absent in Peru and that explain the situation.
Diez Gutiérrez (2015) says, "It is absolutely shocking
and embarrassing to see some otherwise rational and well-educated people
believing that three PISA test scores show the quality of their education
systems, the effectiveness of their teaching staff, Of its students, and the
future prosperity of society. " He points out that Julio Carabaña, a
reputed educational sociologist, in the research "The futility of PISA for
schools", strongly demonstrates that this international evaluation program
is not valuable in helping to improve teaching in classrooms and the functioning
of schools.
Why? The PISA tests measure very general capacities,
capacities that depend on the accumulated experience in the whole life of the
student, from its birth; So if one country scores higher than another it can
not be inferred that their schools are more effective because learning begins
before school and takes place in a variety of institutional and extracurricular
contexts.
Why is PISA testing still being used and publicized? The
political and media success of PISA is because the results are published in the
form of ranking or world ranking and a sector of politicians use them to
justify their reforms and attack those of their opponents. And sometimes to
keep in power or charge certain useful characters, either for convenience or
pressure from someone to whom he owes a lot. (It seems that around here is the
mother of the lamb).
References
Alegoría de la caverna
PISA 2015: ¿Cuántos años le
tomará a Perú alcanzar el promedio OCDE?
Miércoles, 07 de diciembre
del 2016
Ranking Web of Universities
QS University Rankings:
Latin America 2016 –
Ranking de las 50 mejores
universidades de América latina
MIÉRCOLES 13 DE JULIO DE
2016
Conozca el ranking de las
300 mejores universidades de Latinoamérica © Sputnik/ Vladimir Fedorenko
