Not just tiger mums and rote learning: it's time for a balanced view of Asian education

Abstract

International test results on maths, reading and science literacies, released this week, continue to show one thing for sure: the outstanding performance of Asian education systems. Each time the results of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 are released, countries like Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Macao and Japan all appear at the top of the rankings. And, each time, educators and commentators become fascinated with their success. The last time PISA results were released in 2010, former prime minister Julia Gillard said the rise of Asia and decline of Australia on PISA rankings were a "wake-up call" and set a goal to be ranked among these top Asian systems. Soon after, much media attention was given to the "secrets" of Asian PISA success and what we can learn from them. Melbourne University's Stephen Dinham calls this "our Asian schooling infatuation", our "PISA envy". But this infatuation also sees detractors who rally around derogatory stereotypes about Asian education. Many observers, in their attempt to dismiss the call to learn from Asia, perpetuate caricatures about Asian schooling - ones where children mindlessly memorise under enormous parental and societal pressure. Unfortunately, the idea that Asian education is either doing everything right or everything wrong is overly simplistic and needs to change.