Students in East Asia, including in China – notably Shanghai, whose 15-year-olds topped the most recent PISA tests – and in Singapore frequently outperform Western counterparts in international tests.
Such strong results naturally lead policymakers and experts to ask, What are the secrets of Asia's success? Our research suggests that there are a number of common factors, although not all of them can readily be applied by educational systems in other countries.
East Asian schools owe their success, in part, to a Confucian culture that places a high value on education. Young children receive the message from parents and society that they must excel in school to succeed in life and, as a result, children begin intensive studies at a young age. An enormous respect for, and high quality of, teachers is another common factor. Teachers enjoy respected status in many Asian countries, so the sector tends to attract strong talent, and teachers enjoy good career opportunities in their respective systems.
Another trait these countries have in common is a long-term commitment by policymakers to improving their countries' education systems. Hong Kong spent 20 months to design a strategy and implementation plan for its system-wide reform, begun at the turn of the century. Since 2000, it has stayed the course in rolling out its reforms, slated to be completed in 2016.
Ironically, all the international interest in Asia’s education success coincides with growing discontent in many Asian countries over their education systems, and specifically, the emphasis they place on rote learning. Such an approach may build strong test-takers, but it also puts huge pressure on students and discourages independent thinking, many Asian educators, policymakers and parents believe. Asian educators are now streaming to the US and other Western countries to understand how their education systems foster creative thinking.
Read more on this and other topical education issues on The Learning Curve website.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited (EIU) or any other member of The Economist Group. The Economist Group (including the EIU) cannot accept any responsibility or liability for reliance by any person on this article or any of the information, opinions or conclusions set out in the article.
