US is far from leading the world in classroom
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One can only commiserate with the depressed journalists at the New York Times who, on December 11, had to report yet another pathetically dismal showing by US students in international tests that were designed by the International Study Centre at Boston C
It is old news and not getting better with age.
What the journalists at the NYT failed to report was this news: People in Thailand – which has not much to boast about on the subject – and in other places like Thailand are increasingly asking how a country that cannot compete intellectually with the rest of the world can call itself the world’s leader.
To show the seriousness of the disparities, consider this excerpt from the article: “In the United States, only 7 per cent of students reached the advanced level in eighth-grade maths, while 48 per cent of eighth-graders in Singapore and 47 per cent of eighth-graders in South Korea reached the advanced level.”
Yes, that was seven for the US, 48 for Singapore and 47 for South Korea, so at least Thais have some smart Asean neighbours to brag about.
GUY BAKER
BANGKOK
