Singapore students get top marks in problem-solving test
(Today Online) – The Republic’s 15-year-olds came out tops in a global assessment of problem-solving skills, as part of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test conducted in 2012.
Singapore was also among the best performers in the areas of mathematics, science and reading literacy skills which were evaluated under the same test — the results of which were released in December last year. This meant Singapore was among only a handful of territories and countries that excelled in all of the assessments.
Singapore’s performance debunked criticism that its education system encouraged rote learning at the expense of developing creative skills, said Mr Andreas Schleicher, Special Adviser to the OECD Secretary-General on Education Policy and Deputy Director for Education and Skills.
Speaking at the Principals’ Forum held here on Monday, Mr Schleicher said: “It shows that today’s 15-year-olds in Singapore are quick learners, highly inquisitive, able to solve unstructured problems in unfamiliar contexts and highly skilled in generating new insights by observing, exploring and interacting with complex situations.”
Writing on his Facebook page, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said the assessment was a test “not of book smarts”. “The study shows that (Singapore’s students) are thinking, open, daring (and) have initiative,” he said, adding that these “important skills and traits for today’s world” cannot be acquired through rote learning.
He said: “It is very encouraging that the skills are shown across our entire student body of 15-year-olds, regardless of the schools they go to.”
