Indonesia's PISA 2025: Reading and Science Improve, Math Declines

The results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025, released by Indonesia's Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikdasmen), indicate an improvement in reading and science literacy among Indonesian 15-year-old students. However, mathematics scores have declined compared to the 2022 assessment. In the PISA 2025 survey, Indonesia's reading score increased from 359 points to 365 points, and the science score improved from 383 to 389 points. Conversely, the mathematics score saw a slight decrease from 366 to 364 points. Toni Toharudin, Head of the Education Policy Agency at Kemendikdasmen, stated that these results show the government's education policies are moving in the right direction. However, he emphasized that educational success should not be solely measured by PISA rankings. "Our success is not the rise in Indonesia's PISA ranking, but the increasing ability of our students in reasoning, problem-solving, and lifelong learning," he stated. Toni suggested that PISA results should be viewed holistically, not as a competition based on numbers or rankings among countries, regions, or schools. PISA assesses the abilities of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science, focusing on their capacity to understand, use, and apply knowledge in real-life situations, not just rote memorization. He urged the media and the public not to turn PISA results into a competition that could lead to negative outcomes. Toni added that the PISA 2025 findings will serve as a basis for evaluating and determining further steps to enhance the quality of education. These steps include strengthening teacher competencies, implementing deep learning, and reinforcing literacy, numeracy, and science skills. Furthermore, the government is promoting coding and artificial intelligence (AI) learning, refining national assessments, and ensuring data-driven quality assurance in education. The PISA results will also form the basis for follow-up actions between Kemendikdasmen and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) to strengthen national education quality. Santosh Khatri, Chief of Education at the UNESCO Regional Office for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste, noted that Indonesia's basic literacy rate has progressed. According to 2024 statistics, approximately 97 percent of Indonesia's population aged 15 and above are literate. However, Khatri pointed out that literacy rates alone do not fully represent a population's literacy skills. The ability to comprehend information, think critically, solve problems, and continue learning throughout life are crucial components of literacy. Citing Indonesia's PISA 2025 reading score of 365, which remains below the OECD average of 476, Khatri stated, "This reminds us of the urgent need for efforts to improve comprehension and deep understanding among students, starting from the early grades." PISA is a global assessment of educational systems conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure the abilities of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science. In 2025, PISA involved 91 countries with approximately 760,000 students, with testing conducted using Paper Based Test (PBT) and Computer Based Test (CBT) methods from April to May 2025. Source: Liputan6