Scotland is ranked lower than England when it comes scientific attainment according to figures from the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa).
The assessment, which ranks 65 countries using a points system based on the performance of 500,000 secondary school pupils, is run by the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD). While Scotland did not have an individual ranking, the survey did break down the results of countries within larger states.
Though Scotland was ahead of the rest of the UK in reading and maths, it was marked behind England in science, scoring 513 points to England’s 516. This is part of a broader decline in rankings with the UK slipping in science from 16th to 21st place due to stagnation in scores in the UK and rapid improvement in some other countries.
These findings come on the heels of a massive reduction in college places for those wishing to study STEM subjects after the Scottish Government cut £50million from the College budget.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“For several years we have warned that a decrease in funding and places for those wishing to study STEM subjects at college will lead to reduced levels of technological knowledge and expertise.
“If students are aware that there are fewer places available in further education in science, technology, engineering and maths then they will be less inclined to study them.
“Although Scotland performed well compared to other parts of the UK in certain areas, these figures must serve as a wakeup call.
“A workforce skilled in STEM subjects is vital to the future prosperity of Scotland and graduates with qualifications in these subjects have a far greater chance of finding suitable employment after graduation.
“If we wish to improve our performance in education, cutting spending on it is a sure way to fail.”