Why the huge discrepancy between PMR and Pisa maths failure rates, asks DAP
The debate on Malaysian education continues with DAP raising questions over the discrepancy in the failure rate for Mathematics between the 2012 Pisa assessment figure of 51.8% and the 2012 Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) rate of 6.3%.
Its adviser, Lim Kit Siang (pic), in calling for a genuine education transformation in the country, said the Education Ministry had to explain the glaring discrepancy as the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) showed that more than half of Malaysian students did not achieve basic proficiency in Mathematics while the PMR figures indicated otherwise.
He said the Pisa assessment for 15-year-olds showed that Malaysian students were three to five years behind their peers in Shanghai, South Korea and Singapore.
In the triennial PISA assessments in 2009 and 2012, Malaysian students were placed in the bottom third for reading, Mathematics and Science.
"What is obvious is an urgent need for education transformation. The reforms are needed to meet the objective of Malaysia’s education system of educational excellence for all, not a minority," he said in a statement today.
Lim said only 1.3% Malaysian students were considered top performers in the 2012 Pisa, while 51.8% did not have basic proficiency in Mathematics.
Education reforms, he said, should benefit all students and not just the 1.3% top performers.
He blamed Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also education minister, and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, the former education minister, for the decline and deterioration of educational standards in Malaysia in the last decade.
"Hishammuddin was the education minister between 2004 and 2009, while Muhyiddin currently holds the education portfolio. During their time in office, Malaysian students have performed poorly in international assessments, such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)," Lim said.
The DAP parliamentary leader said he had been harping on the subject because he had a vested interest in the performance of Malaysian students in international educational benchmarks.
Claiming he was responsible for Malaysia’s involvement in global educational assessments, Lim said: "In 1996, I persuaded then education minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that Malaysia should participate in TIMSS for Form Two students. Najib agreed so that we would know where our students stood with their peers from other countries.”
In the 1999 TIMSS results, Malaysia's scores in both Mathematics and Science were above the international average. Out of the 38 countries which participated in TIMSS in 1999, Malaysia was placed 16th for Mathematics and 22nd for Science.
Malaysia maintained its performance in the 2003 TIMSS and finished 10th out of 45 countries.
Lim said following the 2003 results, he advised Hishammuddin to set up a special committee to work out a strategy for Malaysia to achieve a top five ranking in future TIMSS surveys.
"Sadly, in the 2007 and 2011 TIMSS, there was a significant deterioration in the performance of Malaysian students. By 2011, Malaysia was ranked 26th and 32nd out of 42 countries for Mathematics and Science respectively." – December 15, 2013.
