Taiwanese elementary and junior high school students' reading scores and international rankings have made impressive progress in recent years, demonstrating the efficacy of the Ministry of Education's (MOE) related support programs, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said at today's Cabinet meeting.
Speaking after an MOE briefing on the subject, Jiang cited the results of the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA2012) and 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS2011), which tested eighth and fourth graders, respectively, as proof of this advancement. Taiwanese students' reading performances in the PISA2012 and PIRLS2011 ranked ninth and 10th, respectively, improving 15 and 13 places, as their average scores rose noticeably.
Reading is a foundational ability for learning all subjects, and students' basic math and reading skills are of paramount importance, the premier emphasized. "However, these abilities must be fostered through mid- and long-term efforts before progress can be seen in test results," he noted.
Remarking that the nation's future competitiveness hinges on educational policies, the premier directed the MOE to continue promoting its various initiatives to further enhance students' reading ability.
The MOE noted that Taiwanese students ranked fourth in math in the PISA2012 program, one place higher than in 2009, and posted the highest increase ever in the proportion of a country's students in the high-score bracket. Moreover, students in the low-score bracket decreased simultaneously.
The premier pointed out that from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (for fourth and eighth graders) to the PISA2012 ranking results, Taiwanese students' overall performance in math was generally sound; however, 15-year-old students fell behind slightly in science. He enjoined the MOE to examine the causes of this development and formulate improvement strategies in order to effectively enhance students' science skills.
The MOE pledged to continue augmenting elementary and junior high school teachers' knowledge and expertise, improve their teaching quality and increase the efficacy of remedial teaching in order to reduce the number of students behind in their studies.