In the past decade,the UK has cut per-child school funding by 9 per cent in real terms,while also giving principals more freedom over management decisions such as setting staff pay,Mr Tudge says.
In a speech toThe Age Schools Summit on Tuesday,the federal minister will also say getting Australia back into the top group of nations in school education performance by 2030 is his most important goal.
Australian students recorded their worst ever results in the most recent international PISA tests in 2019,falling below the OECD average in maths for the first time and slipping down the rankings in reading and science.
“We have dropped from fourth to 16th in reading,eighth to 17th in science,and 11th to 29th in maths,” Mr Tudge says in his speech notes.
“A 15-year-old today is a full year of learning behind where the average 15-year-old was in 2000. In mathematics,they are a full 14 months behind,and three years behind the average 15-year-old in Singapore.”
The UK was in a similar position more than 10 years ago but has since jumped ahead of Australia in all domains that the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment records (PISA).