"The results of PISA tests have sent a clear message to our schools and teachers — our work is world-class," Reps was quoted by spokespeople as saying. "They also serve as a good source for analysis, offering a great dataset for making decisions regarding education and we have based some of our decisions on this."

"Estonia's consistently great results are a great example for the rest of the world," Schleicher said, adding that the results of PISA tests are more valued in countries where education is considered very important. According to the OECD representative, Estonia has achieved remarkable results, but there is still room for improvement in appreciating the teaching profession, offering intellectual challenges beside a salary increase as well as for making natural sciences more popular among students. The more students enjoy studying natural scieences, the higher their career expectations are, Schleicher noted.

Schleicher is in Estonia in connection with a high-level international education conference taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the framework of the conference, the education ministers of three countries as well as representatives from the OECD and Boston College are discussing the impact of PISA results on education policy.

Education experts from Baltic Sea countries are also taking part in the conference, over the course of which they will discuss the experiences of different countries in workshops and visit Tallinn's schools and education establishments.