Srilanka, July 20 -- If you ask 15-year-olds right now about a pandemic, most would probably respond they know something about it and could explain it at least in general terms. In 2018, before Covid-19 hit and when PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) conducted its last global assessment, that was different.

In 2018, PISA asked students whether they were aware of global health issues such as pandemics. They could answer on a four-point scale: 'I have never heard of this'; 'I have heard about this but I would not be able to explain what it is really about'; 'I know something about this and could explain the general issue'; or, 'I am familiar with this and I would be able to explain this well'.

In Hong Kong (China) a...