Education Minister Hekia Parata has met with the Estonian Education and Research Minister Jürgen Ligi and education experts in Tallinn to learn about the rapid progress Estonia has made in lifting educational achievement.

'New Zealand's education system is recognised around the world as being one of the best, but there's more we can learn from other countries in order to systematically lift achievement,” says Ms Parata.

Estonia has one of the top-performing education systems in the OECD, ranking 11th in reading and maths and 6th in science among all PISA participating countries and regions.

'Estonia has successfully driven educational reform, and has seen significant progress in lifting educational achievement. My discussions with Estonia's Minister of Education and Research, Jürgen Ligi, and other education leaders were focussed on the policies behind that, and how we can learn from them for New Zealand's benefit.

'It's important to recognise that each country's education system is unique to its own culture and society, however there are similarities between New Zealand and Estonia in terms of a small population and government approach, so I've looked at how we can use what's relevant from Estonia's experience for New Zealand's context.”

Ms Parata will now travel to Berlin to attend the sixth annual International Summit on the Teaching Profession.

Source: Office of Hekia Parata.