Kuala lumpur: The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 results reveal that Malaysia's education system has a solid foundation, with notable strengths in science, reading, and computational problem-solving, as well as teacher support. Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek announced the findings, emphasizing the improvements in Malaysian students' performance in these key areas.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysian students' performance in science increased by three points to 419 compared with 2022, while reading performance rose by five points to 393. This improvement comes despite a decline in average performance among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Additionally, PISA 2025 found Malaysian students to be highly curious and resilient, with an increasing ability to manage their own learning. Fadhlina highlighted Malaysia's exceptional performance in computational problem-solving, where the country scored 484 points, placing it among six nations whose performance exceeded expectations.
Fadhlina noted that Malaysian students ranked highest globally in readiness to seek help when needed, with their learning resilience ranking third highest worldwide. However, she acknowledged a significant 11-point decline in mathematics performance, bringing Malaysia's score to 397. She emphasized the need for a more serious and intensive approach to address this issue and mentioned the Ministry of Education's Mathematics Education Transformation Plan, which focuses on conceptual understanding, reasoning, and problem-solving.
The findings also pointed out the necessity of strengthening family support for children's learning, as only 34 percent of students reported discussing school issues with their parents weekly, a decrease from 46 percent in 2022. Similarly, only 51 percent of students discussed school activities with their parents at least once a week, compared to 57 percent in 2022. Fadhlina stressed the importance of ensuring quality educational opportunities for all children and highlighted cyberbullying as a major concern, with five percent of Malaysian students reporting experiences of cyberbullying, a rate higher than the OECD average.
Educational Policy Planning and Research Division director Datin Rosliza Rosli noted improvements in two key domains, while acknowledging that mathematics required serious attention. She pointed out that the decline in mathematics performance was part of a global issue affecting other countries. Rosliza also praised teachers for their achievements and urged parents to engage more with their children by reducing the use of phones and other devices.
Rosliza emphasized the necessity of a 'whole-nation approach' involving the entire community, with parents and other stakeholders working together to support schools and students. She affirmed Malaysia's aim to reach the OECD average in the next PISA cycle.