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SINGAPORE - The ability to understand and act on intercultural and global issues saw Singapore's 15-year-olds claim the top spot in an international test.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which conducted the test in 2018, announced the findings on Thursday (Oct 22).
In the Global Competence test, conducted as part of the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), Singapore students scored an average of 576 marks, followed by their peers from Canada who on average scored 554, Hong Kong (542), Scotland (534) and Chinese Taipei (527).
About 46 per cent of the Singapore students who took the test achieved the highest global competency proficiency levels - four and five.
This is the highest proportion compared to the average 14 per cent across the 27 education systems which participated in the assessment.
In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said to achieve proficiency levels four and five, Singapore students had to demonstrate a strong ability to identify and analyse different perspectives, evaluate information to differentiate between biased and unbiased sources, assess situations and make connections across multiple activities within a problem.
Pisa is conducted by the OECD every three years to assess students on their reading, maths and science skills, but in recent years, the OECD has added more assessments on other competencies and skills.
In 2015, students were tested on collaborative problem-solving skills. Students from 52 economies, including Singapore, were involved in the assessment. For 2018, the OECD decided to test students on their global competency.
It said learning to participate in interconnected, complex and diverse societies is no longer a luxury, but a pressing necessity. The OECD added that schools are "central" to the teaching of these skills.
The results on the maths, science and reading tests were released in December last year by OECD, with Singapore coming in second place after China.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...-15-year-olds-top-oecd-global-competence-test