PISA scores show critical thinking skills improving: Education Minister

SINGAPORE — The teaching strategies to expose our students to real-life situations are working, says Education Minister Heng Swee Keat.

Mr Heng said this in a Facebook post today (Dec 4) following the release of the scores for the international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, which accesses the mathematics, science and reading literacy skills of 15-year-olds across 65 cities and territories.

He said that doing well in the tests took more than just memorisation, and Singapore’s continued improvement in the test showed that teaching strategies to expose students to real-life issues, and to challenge them to apply what they learn to the world outside the classroom, are working.

He added that a better showing by weaker students this year also reflected that the improvements are “across the board.”

Mr Heng congratulated teachers, students and parents on the PISA results and urged them to continue to work to give students “the skills to face real life with confidence and excellence.”