Indonesia's PISA Scores: Trends and Challenges in Education Reform

Indonesia has been a participant in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) since the year 2000. For over two decades, the capabilities of Indonesian students have been assessed through this international study, which is conducted every three years. PISA measures the abilities of 15-year-old students in three main domains: reading, mathematics, and science. The participants are drawn from randomly selected schools, allowing the results to provide an overview of student capabilities and serve as an indicator of a country's education system performance. In the PISA 2025 study, 91 countries participated, with a sample size of approximately 760,000 students. The testing took place in April-May 2025, employing both Paper Based Test (PBT) and Computer Based Test (CBT) methodologies. According to information from the Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), the general aim of PISA is to measure and compare the knowledge and skills of students across various countries. The three primary competencies assessed are reading, mathematics, and science. The assessment results offer insights into the performance of each country's education system. PISA data also facilitates international comparisons and serves as input for governments and policymakers in formulating strategies to enhance their education systems. The study is organized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization comprising 38 member countries, most of which are developed nations. Indonesia's first participation in PISA was in 2000. Let's examine the progression of Indonesian student PISA scores from 2000 to 2025. In Indonesia's initial participation in 2000, PISA scores were: Reading 371, Mathematics 367, and Science 393. In 2003, Indonesia's PISA results were: - Reading: 382 - Mathematics: 360 - Science: 395 Science began to be measured as a domain in PISA in 2006. Indonesia achieved: - Reading: 393 - Mathematics: 391 - Science: 393 In PISA 2009, Indonesia's score for science ability was 383, while the OECD average was 501. Indonesia's reading ability scored 402, compared to the OECD average of 493. Mathematics was the lowest-scoring domain with 371, against an OECD average of 496. Three years later, the PISA scores for Indonesian students were: - Science: 382 - OECD average 501 - Mathematics: 375 - OECD average 494 - Reading: 396 - OECD average 492 In 2015, Indonesia's scores showed an increase in some domains compared to the previous period. Science scores reached 403, while the OECD average was 493. For mathematics, Indonesia scored 386 with an OECD average of 490. Reading ability recorded a score of 397, compared to the OECD average of 493. In PISA 2018, Indonesia's scores for each domain were: - Science: 396 (ranked 71st out of 79 countries) - Mathematics: 379 (ranked 73rd out of 79 countries) - Reading: 371 (ranked 74th out of 79 countries) Results from PISA 2022 indicated that Indonesia's scores were again below the OECD average. Indonesia obtained scores of: - Mathematics: 366 - OECD average 472 (ranked 70th out of 81 countries) - Reading: 359 - OECD average 476 (ranked 71st out of 81 countries) - Science: 383 - OECD average 485 (ranked 67th out of 81 countries) In PISA 2025, Indonesia recorded scores of: - Mathematics: 364 - ranked 78th out of 90 countries - Reading: 365 - ranked 74th out of 90 countries - Science: 389 - ranked 73rd out of 91 countries