Education is like an enormous oceanic ship where no one can change the course quickly, even if everyone can see that they are heading for an iceberg. Enough politicians have been burned in Slovakia who have taken command, announced a new course, and started turning the steering wheel, but nothing happened to the ship.
Special infographics explaining in detail what conspiracy theories are, how they spread and how to counteract them were published in September 2020 by UNESCO[1] – the United Nations agency responsible for education, fostering a scientific worldview and ensuring high intellectual standards. In these attractive graphic documents, we get – among other things – a condensed definition of conspiracy thinking.
Despite the unfavorable situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic restrictions in 2020-2021, we were able to hold the fourth edition of the Economics Olympiad, the first comprehensive nationwide competition in economics and finance for high school students in Slovakia. What is more, we were happy to welcome a record number of high school students from all over the country to take part in the competition this year.
Let’s look at the data – the results of this year’s Economics Olympiad organized by INESS, with over 6,500 high school students involved. We introduce 10 key findings concerning economic skills of the youth in Slovakia.
Quarantine increases people’s desire to study and learn. On March 25th the third national economics exam, organized by the Lithuanian Free Market Institute, attracted a record number of participants (10,963). The motto of this year’s exam was “There is a human being being every number.”
Slovakia is a small country. It cannot afford to be uneducated. Still, the country has been sinking in the PISA rankings that measure “smartness” by comparing results of educational systems. Many small countries rank ahead of Slovakia.
On March 27, 2019, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) ran the second edition of the National Economics Exam. Aimed at promoting economic literacy and the relevance of economics education, the exam is intended for all citizens interested in measuring their knowledge of economics.
On July 30, the British magazine “The New Statesman” published an article by the famous philosopher John Gray on the life, intellectual achievements, and mistakes of Friedrich Hayek. Gray’s piece examines the Austrian’s economic and political views. It is almost as if Gray puts Hayek on trial, the verdict of which has already been decided upon.
