International Study Shows Tender

A spokesman for the Education Bureau EDB said the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment PISA 2025 released today September 8 show Hong Kong students outstanding performance in the innovative domain of Learning in the Digital World with their overall performance in mathematical scientific and mothertongue reading literacy continuously surpassing the international average

PISA organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD is conducted every three years to assess the mathematical scientific and mothertongue reading literacy of 15yearold students Hong Kong has participated in PISA in the form of academic research projects A total of 91 countries or economies participated in PISA 2025 globally The EDB commissioned the University of Hong Kong HKU to conduct the main study in Hong Kong from May to July 2025 which involved 6 445 students aged 15 from 230 secondary schools

PISA features an innovative domain in each cycle to gauge whether students have acquired the knowledge and skills needed for the future For PISA 2025 the innovative domain was Learning in the Digital World in which Hong Kong students performed exceptionally well achieving a score of 545 significantly higher than the international average of 500 The OECDs report indicated that Hong Kong was one of the topperforming education systems globally in the innovative domain Learning in the Digital World with over 40 per cent of participating students attaining high proficiency levels capable of undertaking moderate to sophisticated programming and modelling and effectively applying computational logic for analysis

The EDB spokesman said The outstanding performance of Hong Kong students in the innovative domain Learning in the Digital World demonstrates the tangible results achieved through Hong Kongs vigorous promotion of STEAM science technology engineering arts and mathematics education Building on the Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools announced earlier the EDB will continue to focus on AI education Efforts will be directed towards developing curriculum frameworks supporting teacher training optimising infrastructure and supporting facilities as well as promoting crosssector collaboration to strengthen students digital literacy and equip the younger generation to meet the opportunities and challenges of the digital era

The spokesman added In terms of education equity the PISA 2025 results reaffirm that Hong Kongs education system excels in achieving educational equity consistently ranking among the top three countries or economies with high academic achievements In addition to establishing a broad and balanced 15year school curriculum framework the Government is also committed to providing a diverse range of lifewide learning activities various programmes to support elearning comprehensive learning support for nonChinesespeaking students and promoting the Whole School Approach to Integrated Education These efforts provide all students with highquality and equal education opportunities thereby promoting social mobility

In the three core domains of mathematical scientific and mothertongue reading literacy Hong Kong students overall performance has consistently surpassed the international average scoring 522 in mathematical literacy international average 463 496 in scientific literacy international average 482 and 480 in mothertongue reading literacy international average 461

The spokesperson continued According to the OECDs report the impact of COVID19 on the learning stage of students participating in PISA 2025 during their critical developmental period is one of the factors contributing to the general decline in the overall performance of participating countries or economies Compared with the results in previous assessment cycles there is a notable disparity between Hong Kong students latest scores across these three domains and the observations of the education sector regarding these students abilities This phenomenon may be attributable to multiple factors and warrant our indepth investigation Among these are Hong Kongs positioning of PISA as an academic research project distinct from systematic schoolbased learning assessments or public examinations Hong Kong students psychological state and concentration during the test the test administration arrangements and students habits and attitudes towards using digital devices after school all of which may also have affected their performance in PISA

Meanwhile different international studies and assessments are underpinned by unique design concepts and assessment emphases In recent years Hong Kong students overall performance in international assessments has far surpassed the global average Since 2006 Hong Kong has been ranking among the top three globally for four consecutive cycles in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study PIRLS and ranked second in the latest PIRLS 2021 cycle Furthermore Hong Kong has consistently ranked among the top five globally in mathematics in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study since 1995 and has also averaged a top10 global ranking in science

The EDB attaches great importance to Hong Kong students performance in major international assessments and studies As PISA is one of the reference indicators the EDB will work closely with the project team from HKU and education stakeholders to carefully review the assessment arrangement and results The EDB will also conduct analyses across various subindicators to gain understanding of students learning needs with a view to formulating measures to improve assessment arrangements and enhance students assessment literacy

With a view to conducting a more comprehensive review of Hong Kongs performance in major international assessments and studies the EDB has established an Exper