Janevska: PISA reflects previous reforms, impact of new changes expected after 9-10 years

The Minister of Education and Science, Vesna Jnevska, said today that the PISA test results mainly reflect reforms implemented earlier in the education system.

Jnevska explained that the current government took office in 2024, while the testing was conducted just six months later, in 2025. According to her, the impact of the reform currently being implemented in Macedonia’s education system will be possible to assess in around ten years.

The PISA 2025 data, which measure students’ ability to solve problems and apply knowledge in practical situations, show that students in Macedonia performed below the OECD average in mathematics, reading and science, as well as in computer-based problem-solving.

In mathematics, 15-year-olds from North Macedonia recorded a decline compared with 2022. Meanwhile, results in reading and science remained almost unchanged. The minister also recalled that the country’s students had performed better in 2001.

“Unfortunately, in 2001 we achieved better results in reading and comprehension. We achieved our best results in 2018, which, according to teachers and analyses, was the result of the ‘Cambridge’ reform. We will see the results of the reform currently being implemented when these students turn 15, that is, in around 9-10 years. Unfortunately, this is not only about curricula. We will also have to pay much more attention to the other elements that make up the education system,” Janevska said.

The PISA 2025 results show a global decline in performance in reading and mathematics, a development that has also been linked to artificial intelligence. Asked how the education system could respond to this phenomenon, which affects attention, concentration and the learning process, the minister said that technology is considered by some theories to be an important factor influencing international results.

“But there are also other theories that the entire social situation in certain countries, as well as the global situation, have a considerable impact. We still cannot say that artificial intelligence alone contributes seriously to this. Social media, the uncontrolled use of phones and tablets may have a greater impact. We will address this in the classic way, the approach we constantly promote: children must learn to write and read traditionally, develop their motor skills and minds, while teachers must teach them how to use technology to support critical thinking and critical analysis. That is why I said that it is not just one element that affects the results,” Janevska declared.

Regarding the use of mobile phones during lessons, the minister said that in a large number of schools in Macedonia, phones are not used throughout the day.

“Children leave their phones in special devices intended for this purpose—boxes or various fabric holders where they place their phones. Teachers explicitly require them to do this. They use them only in exceptional cases and only in schools where information technology has not yet been provided to help in this regard,” Janevska replied.

According to PISA 2025 data, only 32 percent of students in mathematics achieved at least the basic level, while the OECD average is 65 percent. In science, around 36 percent of the country’s students mastered the basic concepts and, according to the report, no student reached the highest levels, 5 or 6. In reading, only around 26 percent of students in North Macedonia reached level 2 or above, while none of the students tested reached the highest level.

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