Vietnam’s elementary students among SE Asia top in math, reading, writing

On Saturday, the Ministry of Education and Training announced the findings, which are based on a national survey conducted at 152 elementary schools across 53 provinces and cities in Vietnam.

The SEA-PLM 2024 cycle included seven participating countries: Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Preliminary results indicate that Vietnamese students are among the leading performers in all three assessed areas.

Official scores and rankings are expected to be released by the end of 2025, according to the ministry.

Vietnam was one of the six countries participating in the inaugural cycle of the SEA-PLM program in 2019, alongside Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

In that cycle, Vietnamese elementary students ranked first in all assessed areas, achieving average scores of 341.55 in mathematics (compared to the regional average of 304.79), 336.46 in reading (regional average: 300), and 328.01 in writing (regional average: 304.92).

SEA-PLM is a collaborative initiative launched by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), UNICEF's regional office, and the East Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau.

The program aims to assess the extent to which elementary students in Southeast Asia meet national education goals, focusing on literacy, numeracy, writing, and global citizenship.

Conducted every five years, SEA-PLM provides a foundation for countries to monitor and improve the quality of elementary education.