Vietnamese students lead Southeast Asia in math and reading comprehension scores.

Vietnamese primary school students scored highest in mathematics and achieved reading comprehension, according to the latest announcement by the ASEAN Ministers of Education (SEAMEO) Secretariat.

On December 4, the Conference on the announcement of the regional report of the Southeast Asia Primary School Learning Management Program (SEA-PLM) 2024 cycle on mathematics and reading comprehension took place in the Philippines.

Vietnamese primary school students have the highest scores in math and reading comprehension in Southeast Asia.

PHOTO: TUYET MAI

Vietnam participated in the SEA-PLM Program in the 2019 cycle and the 2024 cycle. The 2024 cycle of the SEA-PLM Program has 7 participating countries: Cambodia, Timor Leste, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam.

Grade 5 students in participating countries all completed the same reading, writing, and mathematics assessment designed by the ASEAN Ministers of Education (SEAMEO) Secretariat.

In the 2024 cycle, Vietnam has 152 primary education institutions in 53 provinces and cities (old) participating in the survey, with 152 primary school principals, 1,074 teachers teaching grade 5 subjects, about 6,000 grade 5 students and 6,000 parents.

According to a report released by the SEAMEO Secretariat, Grade 5 students in the region maintained stable reading comprehension results and slightly improved their mathematics results.

In the 2024 cycle, Vietnamese 5th graders continued to achieve the highest score in reading comprehension with an average score of 323.5 (down about 3.86% compared to the 2019 cycle).

At the same time, 5th graders continued to achieve the highest scores in math with an average score of 334.6 points (down 1.99% compared to the 2019 cycle results).

In the 2024 cycle, the rate of Vietnamese students achieving high proficiency in reading comprehension was 66%, higher than the rate of the remaining countries and higher than the regional average (40%).

In the 2024 cycle, the rate of Vietnamese students achieving high proficiency in mathematics was 88%, higher than the rate of the remaining countries and higher than the regional average (36%).

Vietnam also has the highest percentage of students achieving minimum proficiency levels when compared to the sustainable development goals in reading (86%) and mathematics (95%).

SEAMEO also shared 10 findings from the SEA-PLM data for the 2019 and 2024 cycles at the conference and detailed in the regional report.

Of these, only half of students achieved the minimum level of proficiency in reading comprehension and only one-third achieved it in mathematics, demonstrating the urgent need to increase investment in foundational learning, prioritizing disadvantaged groups and disadvantaged schools.

Students in the lower ability groups are slow to improve, requiring targeted intervention strategies and accelerated support to close the gap. Learning barriers persist, with differential effects on outcomes for boys and girls, and education systems need to be designed to ensure equal opportunity. Teacher qualifications have improved but pedagogical capacity remains lacking...

SEAMEO also pointed out that investment in education is on a downward trend while the golden population opportunity, the period when the labor force accounts for a high proportion, is gradually closing. Therefore, the education system needs to improve equity and efficiency, ensure that all learners have access to quality education, and optimize the use of resources to maintain sustainable growth.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuong, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, said: "The positive results and experiences gained during the participation in regional and international assessment programs will be applied by the Ministry of Education and Training to implement innovative solutions in teaching and student assessment activities, aiming to improve the quality of education and international integration."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hoc-sinh-viet-nam-dan-dau-dong-nam-a-ve-diem-toan-va-nang-luc-doc-hieu-185251205094545205.htm