Only 19% of Armenia's 15-year-old students reach the baseline level in reading. Armenian students also lag behind international comparative benchmarks in mathematics and science. These figures come from the results of the PISA 2025 international study, in which Armenia participated for the first time.
The study assesses not only knowledge acquired at school but also the ability to apply it in real-life situations. PISA tasks require students to apply knowledge in unfamiliar situations, analyze information and draw reasoned conclusions. Therefore, a result below the baseline level does not mean that a child cannot read at all or does not master the given subject. It shows that the student struggles with certain applied skills assessed by the study.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has assessed the results as unsatisfactory but a starting point. The ministry also links these figures to changes in the organization of education. Around 88% of the students who participated in the study were in the 10th grade, meaning they received their education up to the 9th grade under the previous standard. The piloting of the new standard began in Tavush Province in 2021, and since 2023 it has been gradually introduced in schools across the country.
Within the framework of Legal Week, Tamara Sargsyan, head of the ministry's general education department, and education expert Areg Tadevosyan presented the details of the study and the plan of anticipated actions.
The results of a first participation could hardly have been different, given that the overwhelming majority of students were still studying under the old standard at the time of the study. This means that the 19% figure mainly speaks to the education system of previous years, not to the current reforms.
The real picture will emerge in the next cycles, when children who have studied entirely under the new standard approach PISA tasks. Until then, it is difficult to say whether the phased rollout that began in Tavush will yield results or not.
One thing is clear: assessment based on applied skills is a serious challenge for any system that has taught by rote and ready-made answers.
