Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has praised the Ministry of Education (MOE) for “moving in the right direction” after Singapore students topped two recent global education surveys.
In a Facebook post last night, Mr Lee wrote: “These latest results show improvements over the previous round of the surveys. The Ministry of Education, Singapore is moving in the right direction.
“To our students, well done and keep it up! My thanks as well to parents, teachers, principals and MOE staff, who work hard to nurture in our children a positive attitude towards learning, and prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.”
Last week, Singapore’s Primary 4 pupils and Secondary 2 students were declared the world’s best in mathematics and science after topping both subjects in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, an achievement test recognised by policymakers and educators worldwide.
On Tuesday, 15-year-olds here aced an even more prestigious international benchmarking test, dubbed the “World Cup for Education”.
They were ranked first for maths, science and reading in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which measures how well students use knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems.
Singapore’s performance has caught the attention of the world media, with BBC publishing an article titled “Singapore – a winning combination” that examined its education system in greater detail.
Mr Lee, who shared the article in his Facebook post, said it “describes how we are improving our approach to education – developing students’ curiosity and thinking skills, with which they can solve real-world problems.”
Read also: Singapore tops biggest global education rankings
This article was first published on Dec 08, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
