The Second Ministerial Conference on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) concluded its proceedings on Tuesday, 14 May 2024, in Baku. This year’s conference, which was organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan in partnership with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), witnessed an exchange of experiences and insights on the outcomes of PISA 2022, and discussions on ways to improve student performance in international assessment programmes and support educational reforms.

The conference concluded with a speech by Hasan Hasanli, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Science and Education, who thanked ICESCO and the OECD for their contribution to the success of the Conference, highlighting the importance of training future generations and developing the capacities of individuals to achieve sustainable development goals.

The second day of the Conference commenced with a panel discussion on OECD’s strategies to enhance the accessibility and relevance of PISA to a diverse range of countries and ways these strategies could assist countries in improving their abilities to design, manage, and examine assessment results.

Furthermore, a second session, moderated by Dr. Koumbou Boly Barry, Head of ICESCO’s Education Sector, addressed the cultural significance of PISA in ICESCO’s Member States and the necessity of aligning the assessment with the educational priorities of each country.

The session discussed ICESCO’s commitment to continue coordination and joint action with state leaders, ministers of education and education specialists to ensure that the educational resources and assessments in the Islamic world reflect the priorities and needs of the countries.

The session was followed by an open discussion with participants who stressed the role of education in promoting and preserving peace and reiterated the need to promote the values of coexistence and civilizational dialogue in light of the continuous threat to the world’s security and harmony.