The results of the 15-year-olds of Cyprus in the OECD's international PISA 2025 survey are sad once again. Our students are last in the EU in Natural Sciences and Reading Comprehension and second to last in Mathematics.
As it turned out, 43% do not even possess the basic skills in these three subjects, while this percentage is 21% in the EU. However, our teens rank first in the most rushed answers, with 25% spending less than 10 seconds on each of them.
"Consistently low", underlined the Minister of Education, Athena Michailidou, at a press conference where the results of the survey were presented.
Among the results, it appeared that:
Among the results, it appeared that:
Cyprus is first in the hasty answers of students, as 24.9% did not spend more than 10 seconds and 5% did not answer at all. In the EU, this figure is 10% and 2.7%, respectively.43% do not even possess the basics in all three subjects, while this percentage is 21% in the EU.52% do not even have the basic skills in Science (26% in the EU) 56% do not even have the basic skills in Mathematics (34% in the EU)62% do not even have the basic skills in Reading Comprehension (31% in the EU)The performance of children with a low social and economic background has increased, with 25% of these students being included in the highest school in our country, a percentage higher than the corresponding percentage of EU countries.
Cyprus' positions
In Natural Sciences, Cyprus with 411 points is below even Bulgaria (421), Romania (425) and Greece (434), recording the lowest average performance among the 27 EU member states.
In Text Comprehension, Cyprus is also placed last in the EU, with 379 points. Bulgaria leads with 387 points, Romania with 413 and Greece with 423. This category also faces the largest drop in the OECD average. Literacy levels are even worse for Cyprus, as 62% of its students are below level 2.
In Mathematics, the picture is slightly different. Cyprus gathers 412 points and is one place before the end. At the bottom of the ranking is Bulgaria with 405 points. They are ahead of Cyprus, Romania with 419 and Greece with 424 points.
From 2022 to 2025Comparing Cyprus' results between PISA 2022 and PISA 2025 essentially shows stagnation in Natural Sciences and a further decline in Mathematics and Reading Comprehension.
Specifically, in Mathematics it decreased by 6 points, from 418 points in 2022 to 412 in 2025. In Reading Comprehension, it decreased by 2 points, from 381 points in 2022 to 379 in 2025. In Natural Sciences it remained at 411 points.
Specifically, in Mathematics it decreased by 6 points, from 418 points in 2022 to 412 in 2025. In Reading Comprehension, it decreased by 2 points, from 381 points in 2022 to 379 in 2025. In Natural Sciences it remained at 411 points.
Minister of Education: It is a long distance to travel
"Consistently low", underlined the Minister of Education, Athena Michaelidou, about the results of Cyprus. "The crucial question is what do we do?", he asked and added that the reform and changes will take into account research as a tool.
"It has too many issues that we need to look at. It is a long distance we have to travel," he said.
We are changing the educational content, said the Minister:
We reduce and update the curriculum
We synchronize the syllabus with the syllabus
Expanding Financial Literacy
We change the way the student is evaluated
We have restored Citizen Education at all levels
We have brought back the Work Week in Lyceum
The school is changing, the Minister also said, and referred to less memorization, with more understanding and application. It integrates life skills, financial literacy, Work Week, etc. With updating curricula, with Citizenship Education, with digital skills, etc. With greater support, with the evolutionary transition to inclusive schooling.
The Minister also said that we have other surveys with better results for text comprehension and for younger ages.
Research in Cyprus
The PISA survey is organised every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and aims to assess the quality and effectiveness of countries' education systems.
Cyprus participated for the fifth time. The implementation was undertaken — on behalf of the Ministry of Education — by the Centre for Educational Research and Evaluation (KEEA) of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. The data collection took place in the Spring of 2025, with the participation of 7,802 15-year-olds from 103 schools, 75 public and 28 private.
We synchronize the syllabus with the syllabus
Expanding Financial Literacy
We change the way the student is evaluated
We have restored Citizen Education at all levels
We have brought back the Work Week in Lyceum
The school is changing, the Minister also said, and referred to less memorization, with more understanding and application. It integrates life skills, financial literacy, Work Week, etc. With updating curricula, with Citizenship Education, with digital skills, etc. With greater support, with the evolutionary transition to inclusive schooling.
The Minister also said that we have other surveys with better results for text comprehension and for younger ages.
Research in Cyprus
The PISA survey is organised every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and aims to assess the quality and effectiveness of countries' education systems.
Cyprus participated for the fifth time. The implementation was undertaken — on behalf of the Ministry of Education — by the Centre for Educational Research and Evaluation (KEEA) of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. The data collection took place in the Spring of 2025, with the participation of 7,802 15-year-olds from 103 schools, 75 public and 28 private.
