Moldova Narrows OECD Gap in PISA 2025 School Results

Lilia Ivanov Add Logos Press as a preferred source on Google The PISA 2025 results were presented on 8 September by Lilia Ivanova, Director of the National Agency for Curricula and Assessment. Ninety-one countries and economies took part in the study, with around 6,600 15-year-old school pupils representing Moldova, according to information from the Ministry of Education and Research. Science has become a strong point for Moldovan school pupils In science, Moldovan school pupils scored an average of 422 points – 5 points higher than in PISA 2022. This is the country's best result in its five participations in the study. The gap with the OECD average has narrowed to 60 points. By way of comparison, in 2009, when Moldova first took part in PISA, the gap stood at 88 points. According to Lilia Ivanova, the narrowing of the gap in science between 2022 and 2025 is largely attributable to the improvement in Moldovan pupils' results, rather than simply a decline in the OECD average. 'The results in science are an encouraging sign,' noted the director of the National Agency for Curricula and Assessment, attributing the progress in part to investments made in recent years in school laboratories and equipment. In recent years, the Ministry of Education and Research has equipped schools with physics, chemistry, biology and computer science laboratories, experimental equipment, educational robotics and 3D design tools. Mathematics and reading remain areas of concern At the same time, the PISA results show that Moldova's progress is not uniform across all subjects. In mathematics, pupils scored 410 points, compared with 414 points in 2022. However, the gap with the OECD average narrowed from 99 points in 2009 to 53 points in 2025. In reading, the score was 404 points, which is 7 points lower than in the previous study. The gap with the OECD average over the same period narrowed from 105 to 57 points. A decline in results for mathematics and reading was also observed in a number of other countries participating in PISA 2025. Within the OECD itself, average results for mathematics and reading reached their lowest levels in the history of the study. For Moldova, this means that further measures are needed in two areas: first and foremost, in developing skills in text comprehension, the application of knowledge and the solving of practical problems. Moldova scored 452 points in the new digital assessment Of particular interest is a new component of PISA 2025 – 'Learning in a Digital World'. It assesses pupils' ability to use digital tools to search for and analyse information, verify answers and solve problems, as well as their ability to organise their own learning in a digital environment. Moldova scored 452 points in this area. This is higher than the results for Romania (442 points), Bulgaria (425 points) and Georgia (413 points). Moreover, Moldova's result was higher not only than that of a number of countries in the region, but also than that of countries such as Qatar and Costa Rica. This indicator is particularly important against the backdrop of the digitalisation of education and the spread of artificial intelligence. However, a high score in the digital domain does not automatically imply high effectiveness in the use of technology in the learning process: PISA assesses specific problem-solving skills using digital tools. School size has a significant impact on results The PISA 2025 National Report highlights a significant difference in pupils' results depending on the size of their school. In all three main subject areas – science, mathematics and reading – pupils from large schools score on average 60–65 points higher than pupils from small schools. In science, 58.6 per cent of pupils at small schools fail to reach the minimum proficiency level, compared with 28 per cent of pupils at large schools. The difference is even more pronounced in mathematics: 68 per cent of pupils at small schools are below the basic level, compared with 37.4 per cent at large schools. In reading, the corresponding figures are 65 per cent and 32.3 per cent. These figures point to significant inequality in educational outcomes within Moldova itself – between schools of different sizes. What PISA 2025 reveals about the education system PISA does not assess how well pupils have mastered the national curriculum. The study evaluates the extent to which 15-year-olds are able to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to solve real-life problems and situations. This is precisely why PISA results are important not merely as an international ranking. They enable us to assess the extent to which the education system develops the skills that will be in demand beyond the school environment. For Moldova, the 2025 results paint a mixed picture. On the one hand, the country achieved its best-ever result in science and narrowed the gap with the OECD. On the other hand, mathematics and reading have not yet shown a similar trend, and the differences between large and small schools remain significant. Around 760,000 school pupils from 91 countries and economies took part in the PISA 2025 survey. For Moldova, this marks its fifth participation in the programme, which began in 2009. The next step for the education system is to identify the specific factors that have led to improved results in science, and to apply these successful practices to mathematics and reading, whilst simultaneously narrowing the gap between schools. How did this story make you feel? Digitalization Education Artificial intelligence Social sphere Statistics