Hong Kong students have ranked high in the Programme for International Student Assessment 2006, showing the city's education is heading in the right direction.

The study, conducted under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development, assessed the scientific, mathematical and mother-tongue reading literacy of 15-year-olds.

Fifty-seven jurisdictions participated in the study and 4,645 Hong Kong students from 146 secondary schools were assessed from May to June last year.

Detailed findings

In the domain of scientific literacy, Finland ranked first while Hong Kong's ranking progressed from third in 2003 to second in 2006. 

In the domain of mathematical literacy the top three participating jurisdictions were Chinese Taipei (549 scores), Finland (548 scores) and Hong Kong (547 scores).

Significant improvement was seen in Hong Kong students' reading literacy, with the ranking leaping from 10th in 2003 to third in 2006. The top two participants were South Korea and Finland.

Welcoming the results, Deputy Secretary for Education Bernadette Linn said the achievement was the result of concerted efforts of schools and teachers.

"It is a great encouragement to stakeholders in the education sector who have been rendering untiring efforts in carrying through education reform."

Efforts bearing fruit

Ms Linn said the efforts put in promoting reading as a tool for life-long learning are bearing fruit across primary and secondary levels. She was pleased to see great improvements in both the high and the low achiever groups.

She attributed the progress to an enhanced reading climate through school-based programmes, the strategic approach of emphasising "Learning to Read" among younger students and gradually moving towards "Reading to Learn" among older students in the curriculum reform, and implementation of the New Chinese Language Curriculum in 2002.

The study also showed Hong Kong students' performance is less affected by socio-economic status, suggesting the city is providing a high quality and high equity educational opportunity for all students.

The Education Bureau will maintain close partnership with the education sector, parents, and members of the community to sustain the good performance.