It seems
that our generals are trying to instill fear by doing this, because their
ability to get gold teeth at our expense depends on it.
“Are Lithuanians really going crazy? The latest study shows
that about half of adults have minimal knowledge.
Lithuanians
find it difficult not only to count, but also to understand basic information.
We look
very bad among other countries in the world – we are fourth from the bottom.
Experts warn: the roots of the problem lie in school. And
the study is a signal not only for education, but also for the future of
Lithuania as a whole.
Reading books is like a marathon. Once you set a goal, you
only want more.
“Last year I read 18, this year I want at least 24. I have
set a goal to read at least 10 books over the summer. I am already reading the
sixth one. I am moving towards that goal,” said the woman.
“In my teens, I read almost every day, now – at least a
couple of times a week,” said another woman.
Lithuanians like fiction the most, they are also interested
in history.
“About people’s lives, everyday situations, but in the
summer I want something lighter,” the woman said.
“I like to read historical books – about the Middle Ages,
about the modern age,” the interviewee said.
Experts emphasize: reading lays the foundation for a
successful life.
“Reading skills are very important, because they open the
way for us to other sciences, help us learn better and acquire other very
important skills,” said Laura Masiliauskaitė, head of “Švietimas #1”.
And it turns out that Lithuanians lack these. The latest
study shows that almost half of adults have difficulty not only reading, but
also calculating, analyzing or thinking critically.
“Lithuania’s results are surprising from the sad side. 44
percent of Lithuanian society has only low skills. This is every second person
in Lithuanian society,” said L. Masiliauskaitė.
The report of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development assessed more than 30 countries. Japan is in the lead. Lithuania is
fourth from the bottom.
“Fourth from the bottom? It’s hard to believe, really.
Because they seem to be quite accomplished and knowledgeable,” the woman was
surprised.
“I really disagree. This is nonsense, I don’t know who came
up with this,” said a passerby.
“A miracle. I thought we should be somewhere closer to the
front,” said the man.
Only Poland, Portugal and Chile seem worse than Lithuania.
“Such people are only able to understand very simple
information. They find it difficult to understand instructions, fill out forms
and perform such seemingly simple tasks,” explained L. Masiliauskaitė.
“This is a very serious signal for us,” emphasized Aurelija
Maldutytė, President of the Lithuanian Employers’ Confederation.
Employers are also noticing the trends. Finding good
specialists takes time. And higher education does not necessarily justify its
status.
“We do not have enough of the workers we need – those with
technological knowledge necessary to create a high-value-added economy,” said
A. Maldutytė.
Adults with low skills often face a lack of time, finances
and motivation, and find it more difficult to find work. And for Lithuania,
according to economists, such trends are extremely harmful.
“We will have problems with our economy, with our workforce.
Saudi Arabia, the USA, Russia – these countries can always rely on natural
resources. They have not only people, but we mainly only have people,” said
economist Algirdas Bartkus.
Basic knowledge is acquired at school, so this, according to
experts, is where the roots of all problems lie. This is also shown by another
report, which reflects the knowledge of Lithuanian fifteen-year-olds.
"Estonians are first in Europe, while we are only
twentieth in Europe. The fact that a basic level of knowledge is not ensured at
school later translates into the fact that as adults we do not have the skills
that the residents of our neighboring countries have," said L.
Masiliauskaitė.
Economist A. Bartkus says that the education system has gone
too far. Sometimes 12 hours are not enough for lessons and homework, so it is
difficult to expect good results.
"In the finals, we have students who finish school
exhausted. They no longer want any new information, they want one thing - to
relax," explained A. Bartkus.
The full report is in the LNK video:
The OECD study is conducted every decade. During that time,
the number of Lithuanians lacking knowledge has only increased.
“10 years ago, the same study showed that every fourth
Lithuanian resident fell into the low-ability group. In fact, the result is
getting worse, and we are showing the greatest regression among all the
countries studied,” said L. Masiliauskaitė.
“We live too well, everything is given, we don’t need to do
anything. We are too lazy to think about something,” the woman mused.
“There is room for improvement,” the man said.
The report examined both literacy and numeracy skills. More
Lithuanians fell into the minimum knowledge level precisely because of reading
skills.”
Now it is
clear why we elect those whom we elect to power.
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