Education Ministry assesses Kyrgyzstan’s improved PISA results

Kyrgyzstan’s improved performance in the international PISA assessment is linked to comprehensive changes in the country’s education system, Deputy Minister of Education Nadira Dzhusupbekova told journalists.

She noted that Kyrgyzstan ranked last in 2006 and 2009, after which the country did not participate in the assessment for 16 years. In the 2025 assessment, Kyrgyzstan ranked 80th among 91 participating countries.

«In other words, we improved our position by 11 places. Moreover, this was not a paper-based assessment but was conducted in a computer-based format. The world is moving forward and technology is developing, so 15-year-old students are expected to have a solid command of computer technology. Not only strong schools in the capital, but also rural and remote schools, participated in the assessment.

«If you do not assess your capabilities and analyze them, it would be very difficult to develop and move forward. If we do not participate in any international assessment, how can we understand our results and capabilities?

While internal assessment is crucial, external assessment is equally important. Kyrgyzstan’s goal in participating in PISA 2025 was not to find out what place we occupy, but to understand what technologies are being used around the world, what knowledge and competencies students in other countries have, and whether we are providing our children with the same opportunities so that they can compete globally,» Nadira Dzhusupbekova said.

The PISA 2025 results show both progress and a continuing gap for Kyrgyzstan. The country’s average scores were 363 points in science, 364 in mathematics and 344 in reading.