Eurotopics.net

Once the Pisa frontrunner, Finland's education scores are now declining. A new report published by the Finnish Ministry of Education paints a gloomy picture of educational standards in the country. It shows that in the last two decades the scores in reading and maths tests have dropped by one or two school years, and that those born in 1978 are the best educated section of the population.

Teachers in Portugal have been on strike since December. They are demanding permanent jobs, higher pay grades and more investment in schools. The protest is expected to continue throughout January. Commentators voice their sympathy.

The British government is taking action against a controversial reform bill in Scotland aimed at simplifying how trans people apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate. Westminster says the legislation violates equality rules that are supposed to apply throughout the UK. Europe's press sees other reasons for the dispute.

Launched in November 2022, the AI-based chatbot ChatGPT can find an answer to almost every question and is able to formulate them in a natural, conversational way. Whether and in which genres the texts generated can match those produced by humans is a matter of debate. Europe's press focuses on how the technology could impact schools and professional writing.

Following the resignation of Christine Lambrecht, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has appointed Boris Pistorius as the country's new defence minister. The press discusses whether Pistorius, former interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony, will be able to get the ailing Bundeswehr in shape and what his stance will be on battle tank deliveries to Ukraine.