Older Singaporeans are terrible at English and maths, reveals OECD survey

Half flunked literacy and numeracy tests.

Singaporean youths are lauded all over the world for their exemplary maths skills, but the same cannot be said for older adults in the city-state. Singaporeans aged 55 to 65 attained the some of the lowest scores in literacy and numeracy, according to a survey by the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).

According to the survey, older adults are disadvantaged by their relatively low levels of educational attainment. The subpar performance was also partly due to the high prevalence of adults who are non-native English speakers.

The survey showed that 50% of older adults scored at or below Level 1—the lowest level of proficiency—for both numeracy and literacy. This compared with an average of 30% across participating OECD countries and economies.

Some 11.8% of adults in Singapore reported no prior experience with computers, compared to the OECD average of 10.0%. Another 7.1% failed the ICT core test, compared to the OECD average of 4.7%.

In contrast, young adults aged 16-24 performed better than the OECD average in literacy, and had the highest average score among participating countries in numeracy.