Education | Macau students ‘score high’ on PISA 2015

The students of Macau have scored high marks in the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The results were presented yesterday evening at a press conference held by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) at their headquarters.

Macau ranked sixth, twelfth and third, respectively, for scientific literacy, reading literacy and mathematical literacy (three out of four core literacies considered in the 2015 tests).

This year’s Science and Reading results are an improvement over those obtained in 2012, with the same results for Mathematics. Scientific literacy rose from 538 to 544 points.

Singapore topped the rankings in all literacies, with Hong Kong coming in second on reading and mathematical literacies.

This is the fifth time that Macau has participated in such a program. The 2015 PISA compared the results of school systems in 72 countries and economies.

In the OECD report presented to the press by DSEJ Director Leong Lai, Macau’s school system was ranked as one of quality and equity, alongside four other countries and regions.

“Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Hong Kong (China) and Macau (China) achieve high levels of performance and equity in education outcomes,” the report states.

Questioned by the press on why these five countries and regions received such high praise – as opposed to Singapore, which came in first across all literacies – Cheung Kwok Cheung, the Administrator for the project in Macau, explained that “the Singapore system fails in equity, showing very high contrasts between the results of students according to their socio-cultural background, something that doesn’t happen in Macau.”

Besides the abovementioned literacies, the 4,476 participating students – all of whom are 15 years old – took another test on collaborative problem solving. However, the results will not be announced before 2017.

The report also found that for the first time, the number of students born in 1999 that were studying in Form 4 (Grade 10) exceeded half of the total sample, reaching a total of 54.6 percent. This, according to Cheung, suggests that the region “was successful in reducing the rate of the grade repetition in its basic education system.”

Another problem detected by the test results were the differences in gender performance, with female students clearly outperforming the male students by a significant margin.

Cheung added that besides evaluating the students’ performance, PISA tests “are also important tools for career definition.”

In Macau’s case, students’ prospects for a career in science and technology are still below average compared to the other OECD countries and economies.

In terms of gender, male students are more likely to aspire to a career in these fields. Most female students directed their efforts in this area to health-related professions, with information and communication technology professions scoring the lowest among female students’ career aspirations.

“We need to do more in terms of information for our students and pay more attention to the [school] curriculum, highlighting that all courses are suitable to all genders,” said Cheung.

The next PISA test will be in 2018. Macau has already been confirmed as a participant.