About 8 percent of 15-year-old students in member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported having skipped at least one meal because their household did not have enough money to buy food.
The finding comes from the latest results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam, which was administered in 2022. Being the first time the global standardized test of educational achievement had been applied since the Covid pandemic, the OECD study sought to broaden its scope by asking students questions about food security, mental health, and bullying.
In terms of test scores in math, science, and reading, Brazil fared poorly, lagging behind developed countries, as The Brazilian Report showed in October. According to the OECD, Brazil’s average scores in 2022 “were about the same as in 2018,” meaning that students’ knowledge levels did not improve in four years.
Brazil’s results on food security, however, were surprisingly positive. In response to a survey question asking if students had skipped at least one meal in the last 30 days due to not having enough money, the 9 percent of Brazilian students who said yes was on par with the OECD average, and was actually smaller than 15-year-olds from countries such as the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and several South American neighbors.
“Despite all of Brazil’s problems, measures to fight hunger over the last 20 to 30 years have been a huge success. The rates of students not having enough to eat are comparable to those in France and lower than … other comparable...
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