OECD AFFIRMS HIGH QUALITY OF SINGAPORE’S EDUCATION SYSTEM

SINGAPORE, Dec 8 (Bernama) – Singapore’s education system got a thumbs-up
after an international study conducted under the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) showed its students having fared very well in
three subjects.

Out of 65 countries and economies that took part in the Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009, Singapore students ranked fifth in
reading, second in Mathematics and fourth in Science.

Releasing the findings of the study Tuesday, the Education Ministry said
Singapore also had the second highest proportion of students (12.3 per cent) who
were top performers in all three domains.

PISA assesses the extent to which 15-year-old students near the end of
secondary education are able to analyse, reason and apply their knowledge and
skills in unfamiliar settings so as to meet real-life challenges.

The ministry said Singapore’s good performance at PISA 2009 showed that
beyond a strong grasp of knowledge, the students had the ability to think
critically and solve real-life problems – skills that are valued in society
and at the workplace.


The findings affirmed that changes in teaching and learning approaches in
Singapore schools were in the right direction, and schools were preparing their
students well for their future work and life.

The study said in reading, Singapore students performed better than those
from native English-speaking countries like Australia, the United States and
United Kingdom.

It also showed that the mean score of Singapore students in Mathematics was
significantly higher than most other participants, and Singapore had the second
highest proportion of top performers (19.9 per cent) in Science, after Shanghai.

OECD also noted that there was a strong link between education and economic
development, as well as between policy and implementation in Singapore.

OECD also recognised the importance of accountability and meritocratic
values that underpinned Singapore’s strongly global-oriented and future-oriented
education system.

A triennial study, PISA 2009 was the fourth cycle after PISA 2000, 2003 and
2006. The cycles provide information on performance in the three domains of
Reading, Mathematics and Science literacy.

-– BERNAMA