Vietnamese students score highest in Math and Reading in SEA-PLM Assessment Program

On the evening of December 4, the Ministry of Education and Training announced the results of the Southeast Asia Primary School Learning Assessment Program (SEA-PLM) 2024 cycle in the fields of Mathematics and Reading. The conference to announce these results took place on December 4 in Manila, Philippines.

SEA-PLM 2024 cycle has 7 participating countries: Cambodia, Timor Leste, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. Grade 5 students in participating countries complete the same Reading, Writing and Mathematics assessment, designed by the ASEAN Ministers of Education (SEAMEO) Secretariat. According to the report published by the SEAMEO Secretariat, Grade 5 students in the region maintained stable reading results and saw a small increase in Mathematics results.

In this 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.

In the 2024 cycle, Vietnamese 5th graders continued to achieve the highest score in Reading Comprehension with an average score of 323.5 points (down about 3.86% compared to the 2019 cycle). At the same time, Vietnamese 5th graders continued to achieve the highest score in Mathematics with an average score of 334.6 points (down 1.99% compared to the 2019 cycle).

The percentage of Vietnamese students achieving high proficiency in Reading Comprehension is 66%, higher than the percentage of other countries and higher than the regional average (40%). The percentage of Vietnamese students achieving high proficiency in Mathematics is 88%, higher than the percentage of other countries and higher than the regional average (36%).

Vietnam has the highest percentage of students achieving minimum proficiency levels compared to the Sustainable Development Goals in Reading (86%) and Mathematics (95%) according to the 2024 results.

SEAMEO also shared 10 findings from SEA-PLM data for the 2019 and 2024 cycles in the region. Accordingly, only half of students achieved the minimum competency level in Reading and only 1/3 of students achieved it in Mathematics, highlighting the urgent need to increase investment in foundational learning, prioritizing disadvantaged groups and disadvantaged schools.

Learning outcomes have remained stable despite the shocks of 2019, but forward-looking action and investment in the education system are needed. In addition, lower ability students are making slow progress, requiring targeted intervention strategies and accelerated support to close the gap. Learning barriers remain, affecting the outcomes of boys and girls differently, and the education system needs to be built to ensure equal opportunity.

Socioeconomic conditions still have a significant impact on student outcomes. Early learning opportunities and school resources have a greater impact on student outcomes. Students achieve better when the home language matches the language used in the assessment. Teacher qualifications have improved but pedagogical competence remains lacking.

It is worth noting 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 coming to an end. Therefore, the education system needs to improve equity and efficiency, ensure that all learners have access to quality education, and at the same time, optimize the use of resources to maintain sustainable growth.

At the conference announcing these results, Permanent Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong shared: The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training highly appreciates the value of the data set and report of the SEA-PLM Program for the 2024 cycle. The data set and report on the program results are truly important and meaningful for Vietnam as well as other countries in building and organizing the implementation of strategies and policies for educational development in the coming time.

According to the Deputy Minister, Vietnam is entering a new era of development with requirements for deep integration, innovation and comprehensive digital transformation. Vietnam's education is prioritized for development with strategic orientation and breakthrough solutions to improve the quality and equity of education. The positive results and good experiences achieved during the participation in regional and international assessment programs will be applied by the Ministry of Education and Training to implement innovative solutions for teaching and student assessment activities to improve the quality of education and international integration.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/hoc-sinh-viet-nam-dat-diem-cao-nhat-mon-toan-va-doc-hieu-trong-chuong-trinh-danh-gia-seaplm-20251204224311302.htm