Will Hong Kong’s educators learn from sliding Pisa results?

The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results have revealed concerning educational trends in Hong Kong. Despite some positive aspects, such as Hong Kong's "outstanding performance" in digital learning, the scores in core subjects have significantly dropped. Mathematics, reading, and science scores have reached their lowest ever measured levels, indicating a negative trend that began in 2012 and was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Nancy Law Wai-ying, a member of the Hong Kong Pisa study team, suggests that the decline in science scores is due to a shift in the assessment framework from rote learning to requiring students to research, evaluate, and use scientific information to make decisions in uncertain contexts. This change may be a wake-up call, revealing that students are not good at "thinking outside the box."

The Education Bureau's focus on digital learning, where Hong Kong ranked sixth, may be misleading. While digital learning has allowed students to adapt quickly to a digital world, it does not address the deeper issues in core subjects. The Education Bureau highlights that Hong Kong remains in the top 10 in science, but falls out of the top 10 in science, sliding to 17th from 7th place in just three years.

Concerns also arise regarding Hong Kong's reading scores, with global scores recording "particularly steep declines." While Hong Kong students can read well, they struggle with reading for fun, which is crucial for future readiness. The Pisa assessment focuses on skills that matter most in the AI age, such as evaluating information, making connections across multiple sources, and critical thinking.

To address these issues, Hong Kong's educators must take the latest Pisa results seriously and start changing their approach to teaching. They need to shift from memorization to building deep conceptual understanding, equipping children with the skills needed to creatively apply knowledge in different contexts. This includes fostering a love of reading and learning, which has been neglected in favor of transactional and fragmented reading.