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Singapore tops education survey, Indonesia lags behind
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Singapore’s accomplishment is consistent with how high the academic bars are set in the country. (Shutterstock/File)
S
ingaporean students came out on top in science, math and reading subjects among their peers from 72 countries, according to a survey conducted by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Published on Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECDA), the survey tested the academic skills of 500,000 15-year-old students.
Based on the survey, students in Singapore obtained the highest scores, followed by Japan, Estonia, Taiwan, Finland, Macau, Canada, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and South Korea, while Western European countries England, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland ranked 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th, respectively.
Singapore’s accomplishment is consistent with how high the academic bars are set in the country. Nanyang Technology University Professor and Vice President Sing Kong Lee said, “Singapore invested heavily in a quality teaching force to raise up the prestige and status of teaching and to attract the best graduates.”
(Read also: Indonesian student among 2016 Diabetes Award winners)
According to the BBC, the country is known to recruit teachers using a highly-centralized system, in which only the top 5 percent of graduates are chosen. They are all trained at the National Institute of Education, a single route that ensures “quality control”.
Meanwhile, Indonesia ranked only above Brazil, Peru, Lebanon, Tunisia, Kosovo, Aljazair and the Dominican Republic. Despite the low ranking, OECD and PISA have released a statement based on a survey carried out since 2000 that claims Indonesia has shown outstanding improvement, “During the period of 2012-2015, the science results for 15-year-olds rose by 21 points. This has made Indonesia one of the countries with the fastest development."
Hence, if this progression continues, kompas.com reported, the scientific academic abilities Indonesian students could match those of students in more advanced countries by 2030. (mra/kes)
