Ministry of National Education welcomes the results! Turkey ranked 30th among 37 countries

OECD-conducted PISA results, which are of critical importance in determining the academic status of 15-year-old students, have been announced. 

Accordingly, based on the test in which 81 countries were evaluated, Turkey remained below the OECD average in reading comprehension and also fell 10 points behind its 2018 results. 

WE RANKED 30TH OUT OF 37 COUNTRIES

According to the report by Mustafa Kömüş from BirGün; Turkey ranked 30th among 37 OECD countries in reading skills, which measures reading comprehension. 

Turkey's score in reading skills also decreased. Another point of note in the report was life satisfaction. Accordingly, 44 percent of students in Turkey stated that they were not satisfied with their lives.

The number of countries participating in PISA 2022 increased from 79 to 81 compared to 2018. In Turkey, 7 thousand 250 students from 196 schools participated in the computer-based test held between April 19 and May 13, 2022. Of the 15-year-old students representing Turkey in the application, 56 percent were from Anatolian high schools, 23 percent from vocational high schools, and 10.2 percent from Anatolian imam hatip high schools.

A 10-POINT DROP

Turkey's average reading skills score, which was 466 in the PISA conducted in 2018, fell to 456 in 2022. 

The Ministry of National Education evaluated this result with the words, "A performance close to the long-term average was achieved in the field of reading skills." Turkey ranked 30th among 37 OECD countries in reading skills scores. The OECD average score was 476.

According to PISA results, only 1.9 percent of 15-year-old students in Turkey were able to reach the high achievement level in reading. In 2018, the rate of high achievement was 3.3. The OECD average for this rate is 7.2.

The three countries with the best performance in reading skills were Singapore, Ireland, and Japan/Hong Kong, respectively.

32ND PLACE AMONG 37 COUNTRIES IN MATHEMATICS

Turkey's score also fell in mathematics literacy, which was determined as the weighted field in PISA 2022. The OECD average in mathematics literacy was 472. Turkey's score was 453. Turkey, which ranked 39th among 81 countries and 32nd among 37 OECD countries, saw its score drop from 454 to 453.

While only 5.4 percent of students in Turkey could reach level five and above in mathematics, this rate reached 8.7 percent in OECD averages. While science high schools were the most successful school type in mathematics, imam hatip and vocational high schools were among the less successful school types.

In the field of science, as in reading and mathematics, the average could not be reached. While the OECD average was 485, Turkey remained at 476 points. Its ranking among 37 countries was 29th. The three countries with the highest achievement in science were Singapore, Macau (China), and Taiwan, respectively.

SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OF STUDENTS

Socioeconomic inequality among students in the country was also reflected in the PISA results. Students in the upper socioeconomic group scored 82 points higher in mathematics, 73 points higher in science, and 69 points higher in reading skills than students in the lower group. Furthermore, the report stated that "the socioeconomic status of students in Turkey is at a lower level compared to OECD countries." On the other hand, socioeconomically disadvantaged students reported learning less than advantaged students.

GIRL STUDENTS ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL

While male and female students performed similarly on average in mathematics worldwide, girls in Turkey scored 25 points higher than boys in reading skills. While boys performed better than girls in mathematics in 40 countries, girls performed better than boys in 17 countries; in the remaining 24 countries, there was no significant difference between the performances of girls and boys. In the field of reading skills, girls scored higher on average than boys in 79 of the 81 countries participating in PISA 2022.

THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION BOASTED

The Ministry of National Education welcomed all these results with joy. The following statements were included in the announcement:

"While the number of countries participating in PISA increased, Turkey improved its ranking in all three areas where mathematics, science, and reading skills are measured. The averages in mathematics and science fields were among the highest results ever achieved in PISA."

SELÇUK ŞİRİN HAD REACTED

Writer and academic Selçuk Şirin reacted to the announced results on social media and said the following:

"The declaration of the obvious! PISA 2022 results were announced a little while ago. Turkey has crashed to the bottom of the rankings among OECD countries in reading comprehension, science, and mathematics! 20 million young people cannot compete in the world with this performance. I am tired of saying 'Wake up, Turkey!'"