XN000022-1996-12-05 — Page 41

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Hong Kong students do well in mathematics

Hong Kong students have quite a flair for mathematics, with student teams winning more than 140 awards in international mathematics contests at primary and secondary school levels over the last three years.

The Deputy Director of Education. Mr T F Kwan, noted that at the secondary school level, Hong Kong teams have brought home five silver and 11 bronze medals from the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1994 in Hong Kong. 1995 in Toronto and 1996 in Mumbai.

At the primary school level, Hong Kong teams put up a splendid performance at the Primary Mathematics Olympiad in China between 1994 and 1996 and in the First Po Leung Kuk Asian Cities Primary Mathematics Contest 1996.

In these primary school international contests, Hong Kong teams won a total of three Group Championships, two Group First-runner Ups, three Group Fourth Place Awards. 16 First Class Awards, 65 Second Class Awards and 36 Third Class Awards.

Mr Kwan also welcomed the results of the widely reported Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which recently put Hong Kong fourth in Mathematics among 41 participating countries and territories worldwide. The target group of the study was the two grades with the largest population of 13-year-olds, which in the Hong Kong context corresponds to Secondary 1 and 2 students.

Mr Kwan noted that Hong Kong students' mean achievement score was 564, way above many mathematically advanced countries such as the USA (476). United Kingdom (476), France (492), Germany (484) and Russian Federation (501), and was very close to the three highest scores in the study (Singapore at 601, Korea at 577 and Japan at 571).

"In fact, according to the summary report issued by the researchers for TIMSS. the differences between the scores of Hong Kong, Korea and Japan are statistically insignificant," Mr Kwan said.

"And although we did not come first in the world in this particular study, we can nevertheless take pride in a school system that aims to reduce pressure on students. We try our best to avoid a highly competitive and selective school system. Young students are offered general subjects at primary and junior secondary levels. There is no public examination at these levels and they are not streamed until they reach senior secondary levels.