The results were announced during an online conference of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) about the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) on December 1.

The conference was held at seven online sites, including in Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and at the head office of SEAMEO Secretariat in Bangkok.

At the conference, SEAMEO described the results of SEA PLM in 2019 in which Vietnamese students had the best results.

In reading comprehension, Vietnamese students got the highest 6/6 level on average on the SEA PLM test. Eighty-two percent of the Vietnamese students were at the sixth level.

Malaysia ranked second with 58 percent getting the sixth level, while the proportions were below 10 percent for other countries.

In writing, Vietnamese students had 6/8 on average and 20 percent the 8th level, higher than the 2-4 percent gained by other countries.

In mathematics, SEA PLM measures students’ learning capability in nine levels. Vietnamese students gained the 8th level and 49 percent of students obtained the highest level, the 9th. The figures for other countries were below 10 percent.

Analyses showed that the learning results of Vietnamese female students were nearly the same as male students in mathematics and reading comprehension, but in writing, they were better than male students.

The educational attainment of parents have a big influence on the learning results of their children. The higher the education level of the parents, the better the learning results of their children.

The learning gap between rural and urban areas, according to SEA PLM, has been narrowed, with nearly no difference. However, there is still a big gap between mountainous or remote areas and other areas.

In 2019, the SEA PLM in Vietnam surveyed 150 schools with 832 teachers, 4,837 students and 4,160 parents.

SEA PLM is an assessment program at the regional level initiated by ASEAN in 2011 with an aim to help SEAMEO member countries better measure and have a deeper understanding of the learning situation of their primary students, with the aim of helping them improve education quality.

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc, the results have helped his ministry build short-term and long-term strategies for primary education development.

One of the key long-term solutions is applying practical investment policies to develop education for students in mountainous and remote areas, and support for ethnic minority students.

MOET will build a strategy on methodically improving the education of students’ parents so that they can better educate children. The activities will be prioritized for parents in mountainous areas and areas in difficult conditions. 

Le Huyen

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