HK students made progress in math and scientific literacy during pandemic, international assessment finds

Hong Kong students' performance in science and math has improved during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an international assessment administered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Released Tuesday, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 showed local students' steady performance in mathematical, scientific and reading literacy, with overall scores continuously surpassing the international average.

The city ranked fourth place with a score of 540 - significantly above the international average of 472 – in mathematical literacy. Singapore ranked first with a 575 mean score, followed by Macau (552) and Taiwan (547).

For the science aspect, Hong Kong's ranking advanced from ninth place to seventh, with the score increased from 517 to 520, which was also higher than the international average of 485.

Singapore again came out on top in the students' scientific literacy ranking, scoring 561. Japan ranked second (547) and Macau at third place (543).

Hong Kong students suffered setbacks in mother tongue reading literacy during the pandemic as the city dropped from the fourth to eleventh. The score also dropped from 524 to 500. Singapore, Ireland and Japan were the top three countries under the category.

PISA is organized by OECD and has been conducted in three-year cycles since 2000, with an aim to assess the mathematical, scientific, and mother tongue reading literacy of 15-year-old students. 

Eighty-one countries or economies participated in the 2022 assessment, while Hong Kong has a total of 5,907 students from 163 secondary schools participated in the study.

In response to the latest PISA result, the Education Bureau commends students for their remarkable performance in mathematical and scientific literacy, which was attributed to their continuous learning at home during the suspension of face-to-face classes.

The Bureau added that it will draw reference from the findings and conduct an in-depth analysis to devise targeted measures to address students' reading interests and abilities. 

It will also step up efforts to support schools through diversified strategies to promote "Reading to Learn", including the provision of a recurrent grant to facilitate schools' promotion of reading, advocating "Reading across the Curriculum", as well as continuous provision of relevant professional development programs, training and learning and teaching resources for teachers.