Israel's Education Ministry has delayed publication of its report on the 2025 PISA results, according to ministry sources cited by Haaretz, amid efforts by senior officials to present the findings in a more favourable light. The results are expected to show a sharp decline in student performance during the current minister's tenure, the report says.
Allegations from inside the ministry
Haaretz reports that sources within the ministry say the office of the Education Minister is seeking to influence how the country’s performance in the international Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is portrayed when the data becomes public. The ministry report — which summarises and interprets those results for a domestic audience — has been postponed, the sources told the newspaper.
“Sources in Israel's Education Ministry say Education Minister Yoav Kisch's office is seeking to make the country's 2025 PISA results appear more favorable ahead of their release,”
The allegation centres on attempts by senior ministry officials to alter or delay the ministry’s own presentation of the OECD-administered survey, rather than a delay in publication of the raw international data itself.
Why PISA matters
PISA, organised by the OECD, benchmarks 15‑year‑olds' knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics and science and is widely used to compare educational systems internationally. A marked fall in Israel’s scores would carry political and policy ramifications, shaping debates on curriculum, teacher training and resource allocation.
- Claim: Ministry sources say officials are attempting to make the 2025 PISA findings look better.
- Action: Publication of the ministry’s report based on those results has been delayed.
- Expectation: Results are anticipated to show a sharp decline in student performance during the minister’s period in office.
Implications for accountability
The report raises questions about how government departments handle externally generated assessments and the role of ministerial offices in framing public-facing analysis. When national education departments present international assessment results, they commonly provide commentary intended to explain outcomes and set out policy responses. The Haaretz account suggests internal disagreement about how that commentary should be shaped and when it should be published.
Delays to a ministry report may affect media and parliamentary scrutiny, and could shape the initial public impression of the results when the OECD’s data and press release are published. The sources say the aim of altering the presentation would be to make the national picture appear more favourable ahead of the international release.
What is known and what remains unclear
The details reported by Haaretz are based on unnamed ministry sources; the account does not say that the OECD has postponed publication of the international PISA tables themselves. Nor does the article quote responses from the minister’s office or from the OECD. The substance of any proposed changes to the ministry’s report — and whether those changes would alter the underlying data or only the narrative around it — has not been published in the Haaretz piece.
| Item | Status (according to Haaretz) |
|---|---|
| 2025 PISA raw data | Not reported as delayed by OECD |
| Ministry report on results | Delayed; ministry sources report attempts to make findings appear more favourable |
| Expected outcome | Sharp decline in student performance |
The account underscores tensions between independent international benchmarking and domestic political and administrative pressures. For parents, teachers and school leaders, the way the findings are presented will influence public debate about recent policy decisions and where reform effort is needed.
As with all reporting based on internal sources, the claims invite verification from the ministry and from the OECD. The Haaretz story is the source for the allegations about delay and influence; further responses from official spokespeople would be required to corroborate or rebut those claims.
