Young Tasmanians are being failed by an education system that's lagging behind the nation.
Shadow Education Minister Josh Willie said the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results released today are a reminder that Will Hodgman's government has not done enough to drive good education outcomes.
"What this report shows is that many of our school students are not meeting national proficiency standards.
"What's most worrying is that the PISA results show the situation has deteriorated since the last assessment in 2015. In reading, maths and science students in Tasmania fell below the OECD average for the first time.
"It's a desperate move for the government to question the credibility of an internationally respected study."
Mr Willie said the PISA results come on the heels of the Tasmania Report by the TCCI, which noted Tasmania is still not doing well enough in school retention rates.
"While retention rates are improving across the nation, we are lagging behind and not closing the gap fast enough.
"We know Tasmania has a higher proportion of people with no schooling past Year 10 - higher than any other state and more than 7 percent above the national average.
"We know Tasmania's retention rate from Year 10 to 12 remains the lowest in the country, other than the Northern Territory.
"Poor education outcomes are linked to poor outcomes in a range of other areas, leading to a life of disadvantage for Tasmanians."
Mr Willie said Jeremy Rockliff has a clear challenge to tackle.
"Tasmanian students need investment in teaching the basics, they need to be taught how to apply what they learn in real life situations, they need to be at school longer, and when they leave they need to be able to find pathways to work.
"The system needs to value these things, and there needs to be adequate investment in getting them right."
Josh Willie
Shadow Minister for Education
