The global educational study called Program for International Assessment (PISA) tests over 500,000 pupils in over 70 countries every three years. The results showed that people in Shanghai are the world’s best at mathematics and science .

PISA studies 15-year-olds and their abilities within the three fields. The study didn’t rank China as a whole but Shanghai, the urban center and Macao as separate regions.

South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan were other Asian nations that ranked well. In many western countries, the reading score was down. Europe and Finland still stay within the darling spot although they rank third overall. Americans are, at best, average, ranking 17th in reading, 23rd in science and 31st in mathematics.

Why have Asian countries overtaken Europe and America within these tests?

First, they put more focus on education. Children, parents and teachers know that a decent education is a key to being successful. they’re not tolerant when pupils fail . Asians believe that if you are doing hard and succeed in class you’ll achieve success in your job in addition.

Starting at a really early age China teaches its children that you just can only succeed if you’re better than the others. they’re tested as soon as they are available to high school. Only the simplest can head to college to get a decent job. Examinations are held fairly often and lists of scholars’ rankings are posted on the walls of a college.

Shanghai students study much harder than western pupils do and they spend less time on extracurricular activities or sports. Teachers also are respected , paid well and highly motivated .

Critics of the Chinese establishment say that it isn’t good if Chinese teachers drill children for a test all the time. It doesn’t prepare you for your future life. A study discovered that just about half of Chinese businessmen say that students who come to them aren’t well prepared for the duty they on the point of take on .

Although there are also some disadvantages within the Chinese establishment, Chinese pupils get an overall better education at a really young age. Subject teachers teach children from the beginning whereas in other countries one teacher teaches all subjects within the early grades.

China’s one-child policy makes it easier for families to focus on their only child and provides it with the simplest education possible. Children spend lots of your time at school and learning with their parents a home. But there also are some negative side effects. More and more students kill because they fear they can not suffer failure.

The OECD report also revealed that countries within which students had to repeat years ranked badly. there’s also a difference between boys and girls. Girls are better at reading while boys generally perform better in maths which is entirely logically based.