The OECD released its PISA 2025 results on September 8 – and some of the trajectories across Muslim-majority countries are striking.
Note n°1
Between 2022 and 2025, science performance increased by 26 points in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and 23 points in Saudi Arabia.
Morocco, meanwhile, recorded a 7-point decline, although the change was not statistically significant.
In 2025, average science scores stood at:
🇦🇪 UAE: 458
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: 413
🇲🇦 Morocco: 358
The contrast raises a broader question : Why are some education systems better able than others to translate resources, reforms and human capital into sustained learning outcomes?
Educational performance is not simply a matter of individual talent. It also depends on institutions capable of converting individual potential into collective outcomes – through effective curricula, teachers, incentives, governance and policy continuity.
Education and knowledge transmission will be among the institutional questions explored in CIRIC’s future research.
Note n°2
Also on our radar: a strong start to September for the sukuk market.
The Islamic Development Bank raised $1.5 billion through a five-year sukuk this month.
Rated Aaa/AAA/AAA by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, the issuance attracted more than $2.75 billion in orders – another indication of sustained investor appetite for highly rated Islamic financial instruments amid a volatile geopolitical environment.
A timely development as CIRIC prepares to publish new research on Islamic finance next week.
The Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Islamic Civilization (CIRIC) does not take institutional positions; the views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center, its team, or the MEA Institute for Strategic Studies.