An Evaluation of PISA 2009 Results

"Turkey is amongst the countries who achieved the largest score improvements; however we could not make it to the upper level. In the assessment where 1 denotes the worst and 6 denotes the best performance, Turkey's level is 2 in all three categories - science, mathematics and reading - both in 2003 and 2009. Although the recent steps in the right direction taken in the field of education proved fruitful, need for a comprehensive reform in education still prevails."

Results of the third Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) were announced by OECD on December 7, 2010 making it possible to evaluate the recent performance of Turkey's education system in comparison with other countries. It was identified in several publications by TEPAV since its inauguration that a leap in the field of education is a prerequisite for Turkey's becoming a high-income country. Policy note by Ozan Acar in February 2008 in particular have reestablished the link between education performance and competitiveness making a significant contribution to economic policy agenda of Turkey. This brief evaluation note also makes a general assessment of the performance of education system in Turkey in the light of the recently announced PISA 2009 results. More integrated analysis will be communicated with the public in the coming days.