Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has praised Türkiye’s improved performance in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), saying the country’s ranking in reading, writing and science has increased by 50 percent.
Speaking at Gazi Anatolian High School during a ceremony marking the start of the 2026–2027 academic year in Ankara on Monday, Erdogan said Türkiye was the only country to significantly improve its performance across all three fields.
He criticised attempts to downplay the results, saying the achievement should be a source of pride for the Turkish nation.
According to results released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Türkiye recorded the largest score increases among OECD countries in science, reading and mathematics in PISA 2025.
Türkiye’s scores rose in all three subjects compared with 2022, with the country climbing 15 places in science, 18 in reading and 11 in mathematics among participating countries.
The assessment covered 91 countries and economies and evaluated the skills of 15-year-old students. Türkiye has participated in the programme since 2003.
