On 4 December 2024, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), the organiser of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), released the study results of TIMSS 2023 at the fourth grade. Macao students scored 582 in mathematics, ranking 6th among the participating countries and regions with a score significantly higher than the international average of 503; Macao students scored 536, ranking 12th among the participating countries and regions with a score significantly higher than the international average of 494. 68% of the students reached the Advanced or High International Benchmark in mathematics, while 45% of them reached the Advanced or High International Benchmark in science.
Kong Chi Meng, the director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), thanked the education sector for their support for the SAR Government’s educational policy-making and expressed that Macao has been actively implementing the national strategy of invigorating China through science and education, and encouraging the high-quality development of education in a sustainable manner. By participating in international assessments with total target populations, including the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the city has been enabled to scientifically review the quality and effectiveness of its education system, and proactively make use of the findings of these international assessments to formulate education policies, implement important measures and plan for future development, thereby promoting sustained high-quality development in non-higher education.
To enable Macao schools to make further use of the TIMSS 2023 results, the DSEDJ held an ‘Explanatory Session for Schools on Macao’s Results in TIMSS 2023’ on 5 December, where principals and representatives from 59 schools were given, one after another, an individual report detailing the overall performance of Macao’s primary four students in mathematics and science, accompanied by the results of the context questionnaires completed by parents, students, teachers and schools, providing the schools with a wealth of reference information so they could continue to improve the performance of their students in mathematics and science.
Prof. Cheung Kwok Cheung, consultant of the Macao-TIMSS 2023 research, noted that the outstanding performance of students was attributed to the strong support from multidimensional factors such as their families, schools and teachers, and advocated that the interest and confidence of students in learning mathematics and science should be further cultivated, so as to enhance their higher-order thinking skills.
The DSEDJ will continue to review students’ performance in mathematics and science, and study and formulate policies and measures that help improve student competencies, so as to continuously foster the high-quality development of non-higher education. The authority will also continue to support the promotion of popular science education in schools through various means including, among others, the Education Fund’s Subsidy Scheme for School Development, training courses jointly offered with higher education institutions, and diverse science popularisation activities organised in collaboration with the Macao Science Centre, in order to facilitate students’ diversified and interdisciplinary development, and improve teaching staff’s knowledge and skills related to the teaching of mathematics and science. It is hoped that through this explanatory session, the understanding of Macao’s results in TIMSS 2023 among stakeholders in education would be deepened and public awareness about popular science education would be increased, with a view to continuing to improve the competency level of Macao students and cultivating more outstanding talents for both the country and Macao.
