UNAIR NEWS – The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the results of its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on September 8, 2026. The results showed an improvement for Indonesia in science and reading literacy, while numeracy, or mathematics, saw a decline.
Prof Dr Tuti Budirahayu Dra MSi, Professor of Educational Sociology at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), shared her perspective on how PISA scores should be understood through the lens of educational sociology.
Rising scores contradict realities on the ground
Prof Budirahayu said the rise in Indonesia’s 2025 PISA score points to an improved learning climate in schools. She hoped the increase reflects teachers’ hard work rather than mere coincidence. Still, Indonesia’s position, which remains low globally, shows that education quality continues to face real challenges.
Prof Budirahayu added that rapid social and technological change has been eroding students’ motivation to learn seriously, even as these changes make learning more accessible.
“The decline in PISA scores could be read as a years-long stagnation in Indonesia’s education quality, related to a mismatch in education policy. On top of that, students are also contending with advances in communication technology, such as digital media and artificial intelligence (AI), which make learning easier, while also diminishing students’ enthusiasm for serious, in-depth study,” she said.
Scores as a reflection of the education system
From an educational sociology perspective, Prof Budirahayu said PISA scores reflect both individual student ability and the quality of education in Indonesia as a whole. She believes the low scores reflect a lack of integration across education policies, as well as the limited capacity of the state to address education problems.
“The state, or the government, lacks a long-term education blueprint with measurable targets that can transcend space and time, one capable of overcoming or rising above various practical political interests,” she said.
Beyond that, the social environment, or support system, remains far from optimal. This includes the roles of parents, the school climate, the government, and society in providing support, resources, and meaningful knowledge to improve the quality of student learning.
“Families play a role in providing learning support for children. Meanwhile, the learning climate in schools needs to push students toward critical, innovative, and creative thinking, both through the formal curriculum and the hidden curriculum, in order to shape high-quality students,” she added.
Steps forward
Prof Budirahayu said the OECD has offered direction through strengthening the learning process and building competencies relevant to the times. Beyond that, she said, equitable access to facilities and learning resources, particularly in frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged regions (3T), needs urgent attention.
“The learning process, both in the classroom and at school, should focus on foundational skills such as critical thinking, digital financial literacy, and collaborative problem-solving. Beyond that, curriculum transformation, innovation in responsive and adaptive learning models, and equitable access to learning facilities across Indonesia must become priorities,” she concluded.
Author: Damar Anargya Pratama
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
