What OECD Data Tells Us About Thai Students’ Math Skills—and What We Can Do About It

Nonthapat Hansiri
Jul 28
2 min read

Updated: Aug 29

In recent years, education experts and parents across Thailand have asked: Why are Thai students falling behind in math?

One of the most reliable answers comes from the OECD’s PISA assessments, a global benchmark for student learning. These international studies reveal key trends about how Thai students perform in mathematics—and what actions schools and families can take to help.

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🌍 What Is PISA?

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is run by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Every 3 years, it tests 15-year-olds in:

Reading
Mathematics
Science

It’s not about rote memorization, but real-life problem solving. In other words, can students apply math to everyday situations?

📉 Thailand’s Performance in PISA Math

In the most recent results (PISA 2022, released in 2023):

Thai students scored 394 in math, below the OECD average of 472.
Thailand ranked 70th out of 81 countries.
Only about 1% of Thai students reached the top performance level (Level 5 or 6), compared to 8–10% in Singapore, Japan, and Korea.
More than half (53%) of Thai students performed below the baseline for mathematical literacy.

📌 This means over half of Thai students struggle with using math in basic, real-world contexts.

🧠 What’s Behind the Low Scores?

Several contributing factors include:

Factor	Impact on Math Learning
Over-reliance on rote memorization	Students can compute but not reason
Lack of conceptual teaching	Focus on procedures, not understanding
Limited teacher training	Some teachers lack up-to-date math pedagogy
Socioeconomic inequality	Students in rural or low-income areas struggle more
High-stakes exam pressure	Teaching focuses on test drilling, not real-life application

🇹🇭 What Are Thai Authorities Doing?

The Thai Ministry of Education and affiliated organizations are responding with initiatives such as:

OBEC Active Learning policy: Shifting from lecture to interactive learning.
Coding in curriculum: Boosting logical thinking from primary school.
Singapore Math and bar model training: Adopted in select public schools.
The Equitable Education Fund (EEF): Supporting disadvantaged students in math and STEM fields.

Thailand has also partnered with The World Bank and UNESCO to implement teacher development programs aimed at improving math instruction and reasoning skills.

💡 What Can Parents and Schools Do?

For Parents:

Focus on understanding, not just homework completion.
Encourage math talk at home (e.g., budgeting, time estimation).
Use math games or puzzles to make learning fun.

For Schools:

Apply CPA (Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract) methods to build deep understanding.
Train teachers in problem-based and reasoning-focused instruction.
Use formative assessment to support learning, not just grading.