From Singapore : 'Poor students can score just as well as those better off'

The Straits Times

www.straitstimes.com

Published on Oct 5, 2011

'Poor students can score just as well as those better off'

By Sandra Davie

An international test which showed Singapore students excelling in mathematics, science and reading also revealed that poor children here can perform as well as those who are better-off.
Besides testing maths, science and reading ability, the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) in 2009 also compared the socio-economic background of students against their test scores.
The results, released at the end of last year, found that across education systems, better-off students do better academically.
But in some education systems, among them Singapore, China, Korea and Finland, a larger proportion from lower socio-economic backgrounds performed better than expected.