Normally I go to a website like Buzzfeed for a dose of ridiculous or inane content after (or during) a particularly frustrating day. But a friend recently shared a post that I thought was refreshingly out of character for the website.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results from its triennial international education survey, for which they interview and test over half a million 15-year olds in 65 economies. They focus on 15 year-olds because, in most countries, education is generally mandatory until that age. The OECD developed this test to determine if children were well- or ill-prepared to be a productive member of society once they had received their compulsory education.
The interesting thing about this test, is that it also measures happiness. This is ranked based on the percentage of students who agree or disagree with the statement “I feel happy at school.” Okay, not super scientific, but the students are free to answer however they choose.
Peru is one of the 65 participating economies and although general happiness was quite good (better than Canada’s students!), it ranked dead last in test scores. Click on the image below to see Buzzfeed’s great infographic on the results.
The results will probably not surprise you, but they do confirm that the work Alma is doing is more important than ever.
By Meagan Ross, Executive Director
