Asia sweeps top spots in global education survey

Asian nations cemented their top positions in an eagerly awaited report on global education on Tuesday, as their students continued to outshine Western counterparts in maths, science and reading. Shanghai again ranked first in maths, science and reading in the three-yearly report by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), based on surveys of more than half a million 15-year-olds in 65 countries. Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea rounded out the top five in maths skills. The so-called PISA report (Programme for International Student Assessment) is the single largest study of global schooling and has been dubbed the World Cup of education.