Articles

How has Singapore fared relative to the world in terms of our education, after all the effort that has been put into tuition and into improving the public school system? In a 2009 international study which compares the education systems of 65 countries, Singapore places in the top 5 on the 3 scales of assessment: Reading, Mathematics and Science.

Surprisingly, Singapore is placed 5th on the reading scale, despite the ubiquity of Singlish that plagues our environment. On the Mathematics and Science scale, Singapore is placed 2nd and 4th respectively. It seems that our investment in education over the years has not gone to waste. Other countries that dominate the top spots include Shanghai, South Korea, Hong Kong and Finland.

The Asian countries listed are well known for their academic rigour that students are put through, and the effort poured in is fortunately not fruitless. Finland is reported to take a more relaxed approach in schools and they base learning primarily on trust. Childcare, pre-school services and basic education is free up to the age of 16. Students are not streamed until the age of 16, unlike the case in Singapore where the PSLE is held. More interestingly, there are no gifted programs in Finland up to secondary school; the more able children are expected to help those who are slower to catch on.

Shanghai tops the table in every category; leading the pack by large margins. With such outstanding proficiency in Mathematics and Science, we could expect to see China leading the world on the technological front in the near future. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and is held on a triennial basis. Singapore did not participate in the latest study held in 2012. View Cool Science Videos for Tuition #3 View Secondary School Ranking 2013 View more articles

• Home Tuition Singapore
• Find Home Tutor

New Articles