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Hong Kong slips to new low in international ranking for student performance in science

Programme for International Student Assessment finds that Hong Kong students fall to ninth in world rankings – down from second three years ago

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Students were tested on their ability in science, maths and reading. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Kinling Loin Beijing

The performance of Hong Kong students in science has dropped to a new low possibly because of a decrease in numbers studying the subject under the new senior secondary school curriculum, according to the results of the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa).

Singapore students topped Hong Kong to become the world’s best at reading, maths and science.

Shanghai ranked first in the last three-yearly assessment in 2013. Hong Kong secondary school students aged 15 ranked second in science among 72 regions in 2013, but dropped to ninth this year. Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Macau and Vietnam all ranked higher. Hong Kong ranked second in maths, up from third in 2013 and remained second in reading.
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More than 5,000 secondary school students from 138 schools in Hong Kong were randomly selected last year to have their ability in science, maths and reading tested. They were among 510,000 students assessed from around the world.

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“I do not think this means Hong Kong students have a low ability in science. We have always been in the world’s top 10 in all three assessed aspects,” said Professor Esther Ho Sui-chu, director of the Centre for International Student Assessment in Hong Kong.

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