KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian students have consistently produced excellent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia results, but it is perplexing why they fall short when it comes to Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scoring, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The Ayer Hitam MP said there must be a reason behind this, and Malaysia surely wants students who excel in both SPM and PISA.
“I am not downplaying the SPM system but there must be a reason why SPM results are good but PISA results are not,” he said during a Special Chambers session in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Oct 13).
Dr Wee also asked whether the Education Ministry would introduce fixed grade boundaries for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination instead of adjusting them based on students’ performance.
He said fixed grade boundaries are employed in countries such as the United Kingdom, where specific thresholds are set for each grade.
“That is what we should be practising. We need to set a fixed standard across all subjects. Is the ministry willing to move away from the graph bell system to determine grades?
“Could this also be used as a new means of evaluation?” he asked.
On Malaysia’s recent PISA performance, Dr Wee said the Covid-19 pandemic can no longer be used as an excuse.
“The 2025 cohort of students underwent three years of regular schooling, yet their performance in Mathematics continued to decline.
“What was the cause behind this and what is the ministry’s plan to address this?” he asked.
To this, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh acknowledged that there are still areas that need to be addressed in order to improve Malaysia’s ranking in international assessments, such as PISA.
He said the National Education Plan 2026-2035 will continue emphasising the overall development of students with a focus on numeracy and literacy.
On the decline in Mathematics under PISA, Wong said an analysis showed that Mathematics was less about memorising formulas but about understanding concepts and applying them in new situations.
“The students may have been able to understand questions in their regular formats but faced difficulties in other formats.
“We have to, and will move from procedures towards constructive learning, strengthening understanding and problem solving,” he said.
Wong said the ministry is also planning to implement a “PISA for schools” initiative as a diagnostic instrument,
“This would help schools identify strengths and which areas need improvement,” he said.
This comes as Malaysia’s PISA results saw Malaysian students improve by three points in Science (419) and five points in Reading (393).
However, Mathematics scores dropped by 11 points to 397.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Malaysia’s Science ranking dropped by 10 spots, while Reading rose by two.
