Strengths and weaknesses of Armenian school students: Ministry presents PISA international assessment results

Adaptability, goal-setting and a sense of belonging at school are among the strengths of Armenian school students, while their weakness is the low level of skills in applying acquired knowledge in practical situations, which is also the main challenge.

The Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport reported this while presenting the results of the PISA 2025 (Programme for International Student Assessment) international study, in which Armenian schools participated for the first time alongside 91 countries.

What is the study about?

The study was conducted among 15-year-old students to assess their skills in applying knowledge in reading, mathematics and science.

The tasks given to students are aimed at determining:

• how well a student understands the main idea of a medium-length text, finds the necessary information in one or more texts, draws simple conclusions, compares statements and so on (reading);

• how well a student can select the necessary data from tables and charts, understand simple functional relationships, interpret results — for example, compare routes or convert currencies — explain familiar phenomena, assess the reliability of sources and the evidence supporting a claim (mathematics and science).

Why did Armenia participate in this study?

Armenia’s participation in the PISA study is an important objective of state policy in the field of education because, like other external assessments, it provides a good opportunity to record results and problems, thereby also making the impact of reforms measurable by comparing Armenia’s indicators with those of other countries.

When and how was the study conducted?

Preparatory work for the PISA study had been under way since 2022, and from March to May 2025, around 7,000 students from 295 Armenian schools took the assessment, completing tests prepared according to the relevant methodology.

The PISA study is conducted once every four years. The next assessment will be held in 2029.

Strengths and weaknesses of Armenian schools

The strengths of Armenian students are adaptability, goal-setting and a sense of belonging at school.

The assessment results indicate that Armenian students have a positive attitude towards school, teachers and education. The most pronounced strengths of Armenian students are:

• adaptability — 9 points;

• ability to set goals — 9 points;

• sense of belonging at school — 8 points;

• awareness of the value of school — 7 points;

• growth orientation — 6 points;• the sense of receiving support from teachers is high — 84%;

• the school environment is safe — 94%.

These results show that students are able to adapt to changing circumstances, set goals and feel part of their school community.

They also value school and generally have an internal willingness to develop their own abilities. These qualities represent important potential for educational progress and have an impact on students’ educational outcomes.

Among the weaknesses is the low level of skills in applying acquired knowledge in practical situations, which is the main challenge. Another challenge is increasing students’ motivation, which requires greater attention by changing the approaches being used and reviewing approaches to building a more effective dialogue with students. Everything should be done to make learning interesting.

PISA results are an important baseline for assessing the substantive impact of the standard

It is important to bear in mind that the students who participated in the assessment were mainly educated under the previous general education standard. In this sense, the results obtained can be regarded as baseline data that can later be compared with the results recorded following the introduction of the new standard and other ongoing reforms, allowing the dynamics of education quality to be assessed.

PISA study results show that education reforms are moving in the right direction

The results of the study, on the one hand, reveal the problems existing in Armenia’s education system and, on the other hand, show that the reforms launched in the sector are moving in the right direction.

What has been done to support such a conclusion?

• Transition from a knowledge-based standard to a competency-based standard;

• According to a World Bank assessment, a positive trend has been recorded in mathematics and science results in Tavush, where the new standard was piloted;

• The graduation examination results of the first graduates educated under the new standard are higher;

• The new state standard for general education has been fully introduced in grades 1-12 from this academic year;

• A 25% salary supplement for STEM teachers;• Promoting reading is one of the objectives of the Government’s 2026-2031 programme;

• One in three teachers has undergone voluntary certification (a base salary rate of AMD 200,000, with an additional 30-50% supplement);

• Salary supplements for teachers at rural schools with up to 100 students: regardless of the number of teaching hours, up to one full salary rate;

• Improvement of the teacher qualification category system (up to a 50% salary supplement);

• State funding for education has increased year by year, reaching around 180% of the 2018 level in 2026 — approximately AMD 354 billion — with the largest share, around AMD 301 billion, allocated to general education;

• School construction programme: of the new schools being built and extensively renovated by 2026, 226 have already been completed, with the remainder due to be completed by the end of the year. At the same time, a programme for the next 300 schools has been approved, and the list of institutions is currently under discussion;

• 86% of schools have STEM laboratories;

• Teacher vacancies have decreased: compared with around 1,400 vacancies in 2023, there were around 700 vacancies in 2025;

• Around 4,000 new teachers have entered schools over the past two years, 80% of whom are under the age of 45.

Conclusion and observations

Almost all the problems identified by the study have already been incorporated into state policy in the field of education, and appropriate steps are being taken towards improvement.

The results are certainly not satisfactory. They demonstrate the existence of problems, while the continuing reforms are aimed at creating a higher-quality education system.

PISA 2025 data also indicate a decline in educational outcomes globally, particularly in reading and mathematics. In countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), average scores have fallen by more than 20 points over the past decade, which is assessed as a difference equivalent to the loss of one academic year of learning.

The study results identify a number of factors affecting students’ academic performance, ranging from teacher and parental support to the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

The study results should be analysed in detail and become the subject of professional discussion among teachers, school principals, experts and decision-makers with the aim of improving future policies and actions. Professional opinion and criticism are a direct path towards improving the system, but it is even more important that the discussion does not turn from a professional conversation into speculation.