Accra:The Ministry of Education is intensifying its efforts to improve students' proficiency in Mathematics through various intervention measures, including the Mathematics Education Transformation Plan 2026. This initiative follows findings from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh highlighted that these measures will include identifying learning gaps as early as Year One and ensuring that teachers are matched based on their subject specialisation to address students' learning needs effectively.
Wong explained that the PISA analysis revealed students face challenges not only in calculation skills and memorising formulae but also in understanding concepts, reasoning, and applying knowledge in new situations. He acknowledged the ongoing weaknesses and reiterated Malaysia's aspiration to be among the top third of countries in international assessments like PISA, as outlined in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.
The Deputy Minister addressed a motion by Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong regarding the failure to meet PISA targets and the decline in Mathematics performance. Wee expressed concern over the decline, noting only 0.6 per cent of Malaysian students reached the excellent level compared to the OECD average of eight per cent. He also compared local examination grading methods with international standards like the UK's IGCSE.
Wong mentioned that Malaysia has seen improvements in Science and reading scores in PISA compared to the 2022 assessment, with scores of 419 and 393 points respectively. However, the Mathematics score dropped to 397 points from 409 in 2022 and 440 in 2018, marking the lowest performance since Malaysia's participation in PISA.
Addressing claims about the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination grading system concealing proficiency decline, Wong stressed that such claims are inaccurate, as SPM and PISA have different purposes and assessment methods. He assured that the grade determination process involves standard-setting to ensure fairness and comparability of examination results.