Cypriot students’ PISA performance largely stable, education minister says

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cypriot students’ performance in the latest PISA study remained largely stable, with science and reading comprehension results unchanged and mathematics declining, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said on Tuesday.

She said the OECD recorded an overall fall in standardised test performance across all European Union countries compared with the 2022 study.

Results and international trend

Michaelidou said Cyprus’ performance was essentially stable in natural sciences and reading comprehension, while mathematics declined, as it did in all countries.

She said the wider decline highlighted the need for education systems internationally to adapt to the skills required in the modern era.

Reforms and inclusion

The minister said the findings confirmed the need for serious reforms to Cyprus’ education system, while also demonstrating the value of the ongoing education reform.

She pointed to an increase in the proportion of resilient students in Cyprus, defined as students from the lowest socioeconomic level who achieved results on the higher scale of the assessment.

The study also recorded an overall reduction in differences in student performance linked to socioeconomic background across all subjects, she said.

Socioeconomic background

Michaelidou said the effect of socioeconomic background on student performance in Cyprus was smaller than in other EU countries.

She said the findings supported the direction of education policy towards strengthening opportunities for all children, promoting a more inclusive school system and limiting the impact of social inequalities.

Michaelidou described the PISA results as an important tool for improving the education system and reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening public education.