AT LAST, Muhyiddin forms panel to look into POOR PISA results

KUALA LUMPUR - THE Education Ministry has formed a special committee to  elevate the ranking of Malaysian students in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The ministry said it would be led by the curriculum development section and comprised professional sections of the ministry.

The committee would identify and monitor initiatives to improve students' performance in international assessments.

The ministry was also working aggressively in formulating measures to address weaknesses in students as found through the PISA assessment.

One of the initiatives was addressing content and skill gaps in subjects, such as Mathematics and Science, and to match it to those tested in PISA and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to improve the rankings in both assessments.

"Although the recent PISA results have not been encouraging, we are confident the Malaysian Education Development Plan 2013-2025 (PPPM) will be able to achieve a better position in the next installment of the assessment as the education plan was developed on par with international standards," the statement said.

In the latest edition of PISA, Malaysians showed an improvement in Mathematics, recording a score of 421 compared with 404 in the 2009 edition.

Science scores saw a small drop, with Malaysians weighing at an average of 420 marks against 422 three years ago.

Reading ability fell the most, plunging to an average of 398 in 2012. Malaysian students in the previous edition recorded a score of 414, while the current Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average was 496.

A total of 5,700 students from 164 schools took part in the assessment before the PPPM was developed.

One of the weaknesses identified by the ministry in the previous curriculum was the lack of emphasis on critical and analytical thinking.

To inculcate and develop these skills, the ministry revamped the primary and secondary school curriculums to match international standards.

The new and improved curriculum will be launched in 2017. - NST