The professional online conference held by the Agency for Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Education brought to the fore a comprehensive analysis of the collected TIMSS 2019 data, which provided participants with a detailed insight into the results and recommendations of the research and the practical application.
Namely, a week ago, the Agency published the TIMSS 2019 Report with recommendations for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This international survey monitors trends in mathematics and science providing data on student achievements in these areas, as well as the factors affecting them. Unfortunately, TIMSS 2019 results confirmed what PISA 2018 survey had pointed out – our children, compared to their peers around the world, were not given the same opportunities to realize their full potential.
The aim of the first in a series of professional online conferences was to bring closer the ways in which the results and recommendations of the international researches can be used to improve education in BiH. Special attention was paid to the factors that affect student achievements and what needs to be done, on individual basis, towards improving the quality of education.
The purpose of the international studies is not to compete or to look out for culprits, but to follow trends over time and gain insight into the internationally comparable data, allowing countries, economies and education systems to learn from each other.
The obtained results cannot be altered, but everyone in their domain can do their best to initiate necessary reforms in our country – concluded was at the conference.
On the occasion, the Agency appealed to the education authorities to take the results of the TIMSS 2019 survey seriously, as an incentive to accelerate the reform processes. Competent educational authorities anywhere in the world, including our country, have a key responsibility to ensure all the conditions for every child to receive the best possible education and realize their full potential. Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to educate young people today in order to achieve economic and social progress in the country tomorrow.
The Agency will continue to hold thematic workshops related to various topics of the TIMSS 2019 survey until the end of February 2021. Accordingly, scheduled is a workshop for teachers, school principals and pedagogues for December 22, 2020.