PUTRAJAYA, Dec 6 — Malaysians students registered better scores in mathematics, science and reading according to the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Education Ministry announced today.
“For scientific knowledge, the score obtained is 443 points, an increase of 23 points compared to the 2012 PISA in which 420 points were obtained.
“For literary abilities, the score obtained is 431, which is an increase of 33 points compared to 398 in 2012.
“For mathematics, the score obtained is 446 points, which is an increase of 25 points, compared to the 2012 PISA whereby the score was 420,” deputy director-general, Datuk Dr Amin Senin told a special press conference here.
He said that all three scores were close to the 493 average recorded by nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which runs the programme.
Amin said scientific literacy was the main benchmark for PISA 2015. In 2009, it was literacy while mathematics was the focus for 2012.
In PISA 2015, 230 schools, 9,660 students, 203 administrators and 5,350 teachers were sampled.
Amin said the survey found that over 80 per cent students expressed interest to learn science-based subjects and were aware of their importance, but 67 per cent also said they were not keen to pursue careers in related fields.
When asked about possible reasons for the disparity, Amin said the matter needed careful examination.
“For now we can’t give the reasons. It is quite early for us to make any assumptions,” he said adding that students show low interest for high-level science fields.
“This one also needs a deep research, as to how there is a mismatch between their interest and their career choices,” he added.
