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Li Jing

China fell dramatically in a global education survey that ranks teenagers’ performance in reading, maths and science after pupils from cities outside Shanghai were included in the study.
In the latest Programme for International Student Assessment report released on Tuesday, the performance of 15-year-old pupils in mainland China dropped across all three categories after Beijing, Guangdong and Jiangsu province were included in the survey carried out last year.
The country ranked 27th in reading, sixth in mathematics and 10th in science globally.
The mainland topped all categories in previous studies carried out in 2009 and 2012,when only Shanghai was surveyed. Some 540,000 students across 72 countries or cities were quizzed with a computer-based test during the latest version of the survey.
Hong Kong slips to new low in international ranking for student performance in science
The results from the previous years led to debate over whether Shanghai was truly representative of education standards across the nation.
A report by the American think tank the Brookings Institution shed some light on why Shanghai pupils did so well.
What is the secret to Shanghai’s teaching prowess?
The city’s per capita gross domestic product was more than twice that of China as a whole and Shanghai parents were known to invest heavily in their children’s education outside school, the report said.
About 84 per cent of Shanghai high school graduates go on to college, but just 24 per cent do so nationwide, according to the study.
With the addition of Beijing, Guangdong and Jiangsu in the survey, however, the results suggest a gap in education standards across regions in China.
This is despite the three new cities and provinces included in the survey being economically well-off regions.
Are Chinese students smarter or is testing system rigged in their favour?
The influential Pisa rankings, run by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, are aimed at measuring countries’ performance in teaching 15-year-olds core subjects. Tests are carried out every three years and in 2015 they covered all 35 OECD countries and 37 partner countries and economies.
Singapore topped this year’s ranking in all three categories. Hong Kong came second in maths, second in reading and ninth in science.
Hong Kong slips to new low in international ranking for student performance in science
Shanghai’s stellar performance in the rankings in the past years has led other countries’ governments to try to emulate the city’s approach to education, by setting up expensive teacher exchange programmes.
The report also asked students how long they spent studying – both at home and school – and it didn’t necessarily correlate with performance.
Students in China said they spent close to 57 hours per week studying in school or at home; compared to 36 hours for pupils in high-performing Finland. Other lead members among the 35 OECD members were Japan, Estonia and Canada.


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A file picture of pupils attending a high school in Shanghai in 2011. Photo: AFP

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Inclusion of other areas outside Shanghai leads to drop in pupils’ measured performance
