Catalonia excluded from PISA 2025 results due to sampling error
A technical sampling error led Catalonia to exclude 591 students – 23.2% of the selected cohort – from the 2025 PISA assessment, far above the OECD‑defined maximum of 5%. The OECD therefore deemed the Catalan sample non‑representative and omitted the region’s results from the international report, although the data will appear in Spain’s national report.
The Catalan Education Minister Esther Niubo has been called to appear before the Parliament to explain the incident. President Salvador Illa described it as a technical issue and voiced support for Niubo. Opposition parties, including the PP, ERC and Junts, have demanded political accountability and some have called for Niubo’s resignation. The teachers’ union USTEC accused the government of concealing the problem for months, while an internal investigation launched in March remains ongoing.
Entities: Associació de Directius de l’Educació Pública de Catalunya (AXIA) · Catalonia · Esther Niubo · Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) · PISA 2025 · Salvador Illa · USTEC‑STEs
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] An internal investigation into the PISA sampling error was launched in March and remains ongoing. (8a48b49d-8b34-4959-8ea0-9d6f4d9b0f5f, 35c2a2e7-d274-40c5-863a-3193116d3b6c, 49be6359-f58a-46ba-a682-4579d72b35cf)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] President Salvador Illa described the issue as a technical matter and expressed support for Niubo. (a904a495-af91-46bf-a893-1ee1dd504ccc)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The OECD declared Catalonia's PISA results non‑representative and omitted them from the international report. (e048dc2e-df51-4797-a264-a4b1260ebbb8, 1df08d98-5abf-46ba-a2d6-63522ec8e8f8)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Opposition parties (PP, ERC, Junts) demanded political responsibility and some called for Niubo’s resignation. (ceef9570-935e-461a-9f84-170953ae4276, 25290415-eb6c-4d6a-902f-843fea6a22e8, d0290f5b-333b-409f-aa5a-7f1677d8c649)
- [● 3 SOURCES] 591 Catalan students were excluded from the PISA 2025 sample. (e048dc2e-df51-4797-a264-a4b1260ebbb8, 49be6359-f58a-46ba-a682-4579d72b35cf, 1df08d98-5abf-46ba-a2d6-63522ec8e8f8)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Union USTEC accused the Catalan government of hiding the issue for months. (d0290f5b-333b-409f-aa5a-7f1677d8c649)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Education Minister Esther Niubo appeared before the Catalan Parliament to explain the PISA incident. (d8a847dc-c626-43e3-94a7-1b8f5b31e496, 8a48b49d-8b34-4959-8ea0-9d6f4d9b0f5f, 35c2a2e7-d274-40c5-863a-3193116d3b6c, 49be63)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The exclusion rate was 23.2% of the selected sample, exceeding the OECD limit of 5%. (e048dc2e-df51-4797-a264-a4b1260ebbb8, 1df08d98-5abf-46ba-a2d6-63522ec8e8f8)