AsianScientist (May 15, 2015) – Singapore has topped a global education survey conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It came in tops among 76 countries that were surveyed, which included a wide range of developed and developing countries.
The survey was done by comparing the test scores of students in the subjects of mathematics and science. This survey is a wider survey as compared to OECD’s other survey, Pisa, which covers mostly developed countries.
Asian countries took the top five spots of the survey, a testament to the importance and quality of education in those countries. The top spot was filled by Singapore, followed by Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Asian universities had also achieved top results in the 2015 QS World University rankings conducted by by the London-based education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) this year.
In Europe, Sweden was placed 35th and the United Kingdom at 20th. The United States was ranked 28th this year. Finland, a country renowned for its education, took 6th place.
The results have been said to demonstrate a close link between education and economic growth. African countries were among the last placed countries in the survey.
While the results might appease the governments in the top-ranked countries, others were skeptical. A leading UK head teacher, Sir Anthony Seldon, told the BBC that such results were doing not helpful in improving education systems around the world and could distract educators from the true meaning of education.
“They are skewing schools and national education systems away from real learning towards repetitive rote learning,” said Anthony, head of Wellington College in Berkshire.
Nonetheless, the results of the survey demonstrate the importance of a strong, growing economy and its close link to education. As noted in the report by OECD, the education standard of a country is a “powerful predictor of the wealth that countries will produce in the long run.”
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Joan Campderrós-i-Canas/Flickr/CC.
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