Morocco's Position in the PISA 2025 Rankings
The latest report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) places Morocco at an alarming 83rd out of 91 countries and economies that participated in the international PISA assessment for 2025. Moroccan students aged 15 scored an average of just 358 points in science, the primary focus of this testing cycle, which is a staggering 124 points below the OECD average of 482 points. The results in mathematics and reading were similarly disappointing, with Moroccan students averaging 355 points in mathematics and a mere 321 points in reading comprehension. In problem-solving using computational thinking, students managed to score 374 points, reflecting a consistent trend of declining educational achievement compared to previous years.
When compared to the 2022 cycle, Morocco's performance has deteriorated further, with declines of 7 points in science, 18 points in reading, and 10 points in mathematics. This regression underscores the ongoing challenges faced by Moroccan students in maintaining foundational educational gains over recent years.
Gender Disparities and Educational Environment
Interestingly, the report highlights that Moroccan girls outperformed boys across all subjects, scoring 359 points in science compared to 357 points for boys, and achieving 329 points in reading versus 313 points for their male counterparts. In mathematics, girls scored 356 points while boys scored 354 points. This trend contrasts sharply with the global averages within OECD countries, where boys typically outperform girls in mathematics by an average of 14 points. Furthermore, the report notes that a staggering 73.2% of Moroccan students did not reach the second basic level in science, which is deemed essential for acquiring fundamental scientific skills. In contrast, only 0.1% reached the fifth or sixth levels, while the OECD average stands at 11.9%.
The report also outlines significant structural deficiencies in Morocco's educational environment, revealing that only 12.4% of schools lack shortages of equipment and resources, compared to an OECD average of 43.8%. Additionally, the perceived family support index among students scored a negative 0.40, significantly lower than the international average of -0.19. However, the positive support index provided by teachers was 0.30, exceeding the OECD average of 0.03. Alarmingly, only 31.9% of students reported not experiencing chronic absenteeism, and merely 48.3% indicated that bullying was not a concern in their schools, compared to 66.1% and 52.5% respectively at the international level.
In terms of digital technology and artificial intelligence, Moroccan educational institutions scored a concerning -0.65 in their capacity to enhance learning through digital tools, well below the international average of 0.03. Only 44.9% of Moroccan students reported using AI at least once a week for educational purposes, and just 52.7% were able to evaluate the quality of AI-generated information, compared to 62.6% globally. Notably, 81.8% of Moroccan schools prohibit mobile phone usage in classrooms, significantly higher than the OECD average of 49.5%.
Morocco has been categorized alongside countries that exhibit both weak proficiency in fundamental skills and high levels of engagement in learning. The report indicates that, alongside Kenya and Kosovo, Morocco is among the few educational systems where less than 10% of students demonstrate proficiency in all assessed areas. Despite this, the percentage of 'resilient students'—those who achieve good results despite challenging social conditions—stood at 16.4%, surpassing the international average of 11.9%.
As reported by lakome2.com.
