International Computer and Information Literacy Study rates Latvian students' skills on high level

RIGA - The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS 2023) has assessed the performance of Latvian students with 509 points, ranking seventh among 31 countries, according to the preliminary results of the study.

The score is higher than the overall average of 483 points. South Korea, the Czech Republic and Denmark all scored statistically significantly higher.

The average performance of Latvian pupils is not different from that of Taiwan, Belgium, Portugal, Finland, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Norway and Germany.

Latvian girls' performance in computer skills is 22 points higher than that of boys, while in the algorithmic reasoning test, girls and boys perform equally.

The average performance of the Latvian girls of the eighth grade or 520 points is the third highest among European countries, behind the Czech Republic and Denmark.

Comparing the average performance of Latvian schools, Riga has the highest results - five out of eight schools in Riga scored 600 points or more in the algorithmic thinking module. At the same time, there are also schools in Riga with very low student performance.

The average performance in the algorithmic thinking module differs by more than 120 points between Riga gymnasiums and other types of schools - secondary and primary schools. This indicates excellent education in Riga state gymnasiums. At the same time, the researchers are concerned about the very low average performance in other schools in Riga.

The European Union has set a target of less than 15 percent of eighth-graders with insufficient computer skills by 2030. In Latvia, 37 percent of pupils have low computer literacy skills, similar to Finland and Hungary.

Around 2,700 Latvian eighth-graders participated in the survey, which took place in spring 2023. Latvia participated for the first time.

Pupils demonstrated their ICT skills, knowledge and competences, as well as their algorithmic thinking through practical tasks. Teachers, school ICT coordinators and school principals were also invited to respond to the survey.