Singapore’s teens are the best in the world, according to international education survey. In all three subjects, Singapore students demonstrated knowledge and skills equivalent to almost two additional years of schooling compared to students in the US, France and Sweden. The US improved on its 2012 performance by moving up to 25 on the list.

• The findings are part of the 2015 Program International Student Assessment (or PISA) — a benchmark of education systems conducted every three years by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a grouping of the world’s richest economies.
• The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) provides education rankings based on international tests taken by 15-year-olds in maths, reading and science.
• The tests, run by the OECD and taken every three years, have become increasingly influential on politicians who see their countries and their policies being measured against these global school league tables.
• Asian countries continue to dominate, with Singapore rated as best, replacing Shanghai, which is now part of a combined entry for China.
• Education used to be about teaching people facts and theorems; now, it’s about helping students develop a reliable compass and the navigation skills to find their own way through an increasingly uncertain, volatile and ambiguous world.