EU report finds Cyprus students lagging in basic, digital and civic skills

Nicosia, Cyprus. Students in Cyprus lag behind their European peers in basic, civic and digital skills, according to the European Union’s Education and Training Monitor, which cited concerns over the quality of education and potential effects on future career prospects.

The report said the low level of basic skills could also affect Cyprus’s competitiveness.

Basic skills outcomes

According to findings from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 53.2 per cent of students in Cyprus underperformed in mathematics, compared with an EU average of 29.5 per cent.

The report identified significant disparities linked to socioeconomic background. It found that 69.8 per cent of students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile lacked basic proficiency in mathematics, compared with an EU average of 48 per cent.

Relatively few Cypriot students demonstrated advanced basic skills. Advanced reading skills were recorded among 1.4 per cent of students, compared with an EU average of 6.5 per cent.

In mathematics, 3.9 per cent of Cypriot students reached an advanced level, compared with 7.9 per cent across the EU. In science, 2 per cent demonstrated advanced skills, compared with an EU average of 6.9 per cent.

Digital and civic skills

The report found that 59 per cent of eighth-grade students in Cyprus do not reach basic digital skills, compared with 43 per cent in the EU. The figure places Cyprus well above the EU’s 2030 target of 15 per cent.

Cypriot students also scored below the EU average in civic skills, recording an average civic knowledge score of 459, compared with 511 across the EU. Girls generally outperformed boys in civic knowledge.

Call for further measures

“Further efforts are therefore needed to improve educational outcomes, including by strengthening an evaluation culture, to enhance the effectiveness of policy measures,” the report said.