THE HEADLINES FROM Pisa 2003, a major international survey of student knowledge and skills in maths, science, reading and problem-solving, give us reason to be cheerful.
Hong Kong students far outsmart their peers in countries like the United States and Germany, coming top in maths, second in problem solving and third in science. Even being 10th out of 41 in reading is a respectable outcome.
As Hong Kong goes through the painful process of education reform, it has Pisa - or the Programme for International Student Assessment - as its rain-check of where it stands internationally, not just in academic achievement but many other factors that affect learning, from the behaviour of its students and their genders to its dollar investment in education.
While the news was positive in the academic scores, though, the study indicated much room for improvement in other areas, particularly the school environment.
Most worrying is the fact that Hong Kong students came bottom of the world in terms of their self-concept, and its schools bottom in how students value school life - 53 per cent agreed school had done little to prepare them for adult life, and 13 per cent said it was a waste of time.
Pisa is run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to monitor education systems around the world as children approach the end of compulsory schooling. It is specifically interested in how well they are prepared for adult life - the tests being based on the practical use of knowledge. It initially covered OECD countries, but an increasing number of others are joining.
