A woman who has supervised PISA tests in Danish schools since the first round in 2000 says the latest results reflect indifference rather than ability, in an interview published September 10.
Bente Pedersen, 70, from North Jutland, works as an interviewer for Danmarks Statistik and acts as an invigilator during the PISA tests. She told Dagbladet Information that she noticed something new at the most recent test round.
According to Pedersen, several pupils skipped the reading when a question contained a lot of text and simply clicked onward. Others sat staring into the air and clicked through without answering. Because pupils cannot go back once they click ahead, many finished long before time was up.
The test she supervised is the one behind the results now dominating the Danish debate. VIVE published the PISA 2025 figures on September 8, 2026, and said they are the lowest Danish scores in the study’s history, with the decline clearest in reading. The Ministry of Children and Education stated that the academic level of Danish pupils is lower than ever measured before.
The ministry noted that the Danish part of PISA was carried out by VIVE and Danmarks Statistik together with university-college partners. TV 2 reported the same day that pupils performed historically badly in reading, math and science. Per The Copenhagen Post, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the results deeply concerning.
Schools also lack engagement, she says
Pedersen said the indifference is not limited to pupils. Some schools prepare their classes carefully for what the test involves, while others hand out folders and materials without following up. In her experience, that difference is often visible at large schools.
She said many pupils do not show up at all. If too many are absent, a replacement test must be arranged, and she has asked schools to keep the new date secret so pupils do not stay away again. Some schools serve a sandwich or a drink during the break to keep pupils there.
At the latest test, she said, pupils challenged her authority more than before. Pupils are seated in assigned places because the test versions differ deliberately, but several wanted to swap name tags to sit with friends. She described noise and paper balls flying, and said she accepted a teacher’s offer of assistance during the test.
Pedersen said some pupils who kept working until the end faced remarks from classmates asking whether they were finished yet. She stressed that her examples do not cover all the pupils she has met. In her assessment, the test matters little to many Danish pupils because it carries no grade and no consequences.
She said she sees that attitude as a lack of civic and community spirit, since the test measures whether the education system works. Her conclusion is that Danish pupils on average can do more than the results show. They are not stupid, she said, only lazy.
