THE general performance of Malaysian students slumped even further last year compared to what they achieved in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, according to a report.  
 
The results published on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) website showed Malaysian students were nowhere near students from neighbouring Singapore, Macao, Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, and Estonia in accomplishment.  
 
The Malaysian students’ score was below the OECD average. 

PISA tests assess the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading, and science. 

They explore how well students can solve complex problems, think critically, and communicate effectively. 

In mathematics, the Malaysian students’ average scores were below the country’s best-ever scores in 2012. 

The drop in reading and science also reversed gains Malaysia had made between 2012 and 2018, the results showed. 

The mean scores returned last year were close to those of 10 years earlier. 

The result also showed that between 2018 and 2022, the gap between the highest-scoring Malaysian students (10% with the highest scores) and the weakest students (10% with the lowest scores) narrowed in mathematics, while it did not change significantly in reading and science. 

In mathematics, almost all students became weaker, but high achievers declined at a higher rate compared to low achievers. 

Compared to 2012, the proportion of students scoring below a baseline level of proficiency – Level 2 – increased by seven percentage points in mathematics; did not change significantly in reading; and did not change significantly in science.

The result also showed that in Malaysia, 41% of students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics, significantly less than the average of 69% across OECD countries. 

In reading, some 42% of students in Malaysia attained Level 2 or higher in reading. The OECD average was 74%. 

At a minimum, these students can identify the main idea in a text of moderate length, find information based on explicit, though sometimes complex criteria, and can reflect on the purpose and form of texts when explicitly directed to do so. 

The performance of 15-year-old students who attained minimum levels of proficiency in reading – Level 2 or higher – varied from 89% in Singapore to 8% in Cambodia. 

In Malaysia, almost no student scored at Level 5 or higher in reading. The OECD average was 7%.  

In science, some 52% of students in Malaysia attained Level 2 or higher in science. The OECD average was 76%. 

Only 1% were top performers in science, meaning that they were proficient at Level 5 or 6. The OECD average was 7%. 

These students can creatively and autonomously apply their knowledge of and about science to a wide variety of situations, including unfamiliar ones. 

The PISA test was originally due to be conducted in 2021 but was delayed by one year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

PISA tests give insight into how well education systems are preparing students for real life challenges and future success. – December 6, 2023.