The Regional IQ Contest

Turkey and Israel are building rival power projects across the Middle East. One country spent 2025 lifting its school scores. The other treated its own education system like a coalition agreement: postpone the problem, fight over the budget, blame the previous government.

Turkey scored 494 in science, 472 in reading and 462 in mathematics in PISA 2025. It beat the OECD average in science and reading. It effectively matched it in mathematics. Since 2022, Turkish results rose by 18 points in science, 16 in reading and nine in math. Turkey recorded the largest gains among OECD members in all three subjects.

Israel went in the opposite direction. Its students scored 442 in science, 433 in mathematics and 436 in reading. Since 2022, reading fell 38 points. Math fell 25. Science fell 23. Almost 29% of Israeli students failed to reach basic proficiency in all three fields at once. The OECD average is 19.7%.

This is not a story about an underperforming fringe. The sharpest declines appeared among Hebrew-speaking students in the state system. The alleged “core” of Start-Up Nation is now handing in an exam paper with the answers missing.

Turkey’s governing party speaks about national greatness and builds a larger pool of students who can read a technical manual. Israel’s governing coalition speaks about national greatness and fights over who appoints the next land official, media regulator and rabbi.

Wars are won by soldiers. Regional power is built by engineers, technicians, doctors and people who can calculate without a coalition whip.

Israel’s political class keeps selling strategic superiority. PISA just checked the inventory.

#Israel #Turkey #Education #PISA

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