Reading skills of Lithuanian 15-year-olds have improved and the gap in literacy between boys and girls has narrowed, according to the latest international rankings released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The OECD's latest Program for International Student Assessment (Pisa) report compares test results in reading, maths and science in 79 countries.
In reading, Lithuania shares 29-36 positions with Russia, Italy, Slovakia, Israel and other countries, Rita Dukynaite, a member of the PISA Governing Board, said at a news conference on Tuesday.
In the PISA 2018 tests, Lithuania's 15-year-olds outperformed their peers in 40 countries, but scored worse than those in 28 countries.
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Lithuania is ranked at 32-37 in maths, and at 30-33 in science along with Spain, Hungary, Russia and other countries.
In the 2015 report, Lithuania was ranked 39th in reading, 36-38th in science, and 36th in maths.
Compared with the 2009 tests, their average score improved by nine points, "which is a statistically significant increase", Dukynaite said.
Although boys are still outperformed by girls, the gender gap has narrowed significantly, she noted.
PISA tests have been conducted every three years since 2000.