Jordan Times
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Jordanian students ranked
first in science among nine Arab countries study
By Reem Halasa
AMMAN Jordan ranked 26th and 33rd among 46 countries in science and
mathematics respectively in an international study for 2003, Minister of
Education Khalid Touqan announced on Tuesday.
According to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),
which is conducted every four years on 4th and 8th graders, Jordanian students
have improved in science, though their performance in mathematics generally
remained the same.
Compared to the international average of 474 in 8th grade science, Jordan's
average scale score stood at 475, an increase of 25 points since 1999, where it
was 450 out of an international average of 500.
The international average is the mean of the average scale scores of the
participating countries.
In 2003, Singapore had the highest average scale score of 578 while South Africa
was the lowest at 244.
In mathematics, the Kingdom's 8th grade students scored 434 out of the
international average 467, while in 1999 the average scale score was 428 out of
an international average 500.
Nine Arab countries including Jordan participated in the TIMSS: Lebanon,
Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, the Palestinian Authority, Morocco, Syria and Saudi
Arabia.
Jordan ranked first in science among these countries, followed by Bahrain. But
in mathematics, the Kingdom came second after Lebanon, Touqan said.
This international study helps us to keep a close watch on the changes in our
educational system, and monitor our students' progress and weakness... it is
important to compare ourselves internationally, Touqan told reporters.
He added that a committee from the National Centre for Human Resources
Development and the Ministry of Education will be formed to study the results in
order to draft the measures to be taken to improve the country's standards of
education and assess the current system's weaknesses.
A total of 4,489 Jordanian students from 140 public and private schools
participated in the 2003 study.
The Kingdom first participated in the TIMSS in 1991, ranking 18th out of 19
countries in both subjects. But in 1999, the country ranked 30th and 33rd in
science and mathematics respectively out of 38 participating countries.
TIMSS is a collaborative research project sponsored by the International
Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement and is directed by the
International Study Centre in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.
The study is designed to help countries all over the world improve student
learning in mathematics and science. It collects educational achievement data at
the fourth and eighth grade levels to provide information about trends in
performance over time, together with extensive background information to address
concerns about the quantity, quality and content of instruction, according to
the TIMSS website.
Ranking of Arab countries in mathematics
Lebanon 433
Jordan 424
Tunisia 410
Egypt 406
Bahrain 401
Palestinian Authority 390
Morocco 387
Syria 358
Saudi Arabia 332
Average 392
Ranking of Arab countries in science
Jordan 475
Bahrain 438
Palestinian Authority 435
Egypt 421
Syria 411
Tunisia 404
Saudi Arabia 398
Morocco 396
Lebanon 393
Average 416
Courtesy of TIMSS