Hong Kong's Pisa Scores Hit Historic Lows as Education Experts Sound Alarm
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results released last week reveal a troubling decline in Hong Kong's educational performance. Scores in the three core subjects of mathematics, reading and science have fallen to their lowest levels since Hong Kong began participating in the international assessment, prompting concerns from education experts about the state of local classrooms. The results show a negative trend that, according to analysts, predates the Covid-19 pandemic and now requires fundamental changes to teaching approaches.
Key Points
- Hong Kong's 2025 Pisa scores in mathematics, reading and science are the lowest ever recorded for the city since it began participating in the assessment
- Hong Kong has fallen out of the top 10 in science, sliding to 17th place from 7th position in just three years
- The declining trend began after 2012, with the pandemic merely amplifying an existing problem rather than causing it
- In the 2022 Pisa assessment, Hong Kong scored below the OECD average in creative thinking, with experts warning students were "not good at thinking outside the box"
- The Education Bureau has emphasized "outstanding performance" in digital learning, though this has not offset the core subject declines
- Professor Nancy Law Wai-ying, a member of the Hong Kong Pisa study team, attributed the science score drop partly to a shift in the assessment framework
Why It Matters
The historic decline in Hong Kong's Pisa rankings signals a systemic issue that cannot be dismissed as a pandemic-related anomaly, with the city's position in global education benchmarks now at stake. Parents, educators and policymakers will face increasing pressure to address fundamental questions about curriculum design and teaching methodology that have allowed this downward trajectory to persist for over a decade.
The historic decline in Hong Kong's Pisa rankings signals a systemic issue that cannot be dismissed as a pandemic-related anomaly, with the city's position in global education benchmarks now at stake. Parents, educators and policymakers will face increasing pressure to address fundamental questions about curriculum design and teaching methodology that have allowed this downward trajectory to persist for over a decade.