Israel has to find solutions for its poor education results - opinion

• Published date: 11 October 2021
• Author: AUDREY TRACHTMAN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The first, a study undertaken by the Shoresh Institute for Socioeconomic Research, described the poor state of education in Israel compared to other countries in the OECD. Academic performance in basic subjects in the haredi and Arab populations was far below the entire developed world. Poor educational results for students living in the social and economic bottom, the periphery, was also documented. When comparing what students know in reading, science and mathematics and how they can apply it, Israel's non-religious schools fell below a third of the developed countries in the OECD. The religious schools fell below 80% of those countries even without the inclusion of haredi schools, which don't participate in standardized tests. One part of the issue appears to lie with the inferior quality of Israel's teachers. When comparing Israeli teachers to their international counterparts in the OECD assessment of knowledge and skills, Israel's language arts teachers ranked in the bottom third while math teachers ranked dead last.

The educational picture is complemented by equally grim economic statistics. The Social Policy Institute at Washington University found that 17% of Israeli families with children are unable to afford the amount or type of food they need for normal development. At the height of the COVID crisis, food insecurity impacted a quarter of Israel's families. The association between food insecurity and risk to childhood physical and mental health and behavioral well-being has been well documented. What is most alarming about the report is how food insecurity has moved from a problem affecting solely the lower socioeconomic segment of the population to one that affects the middle class as well. Israeli food banks and welfare budgets have increased only minimally, forcing Israel's citizens to rely on relatives and charity for supplemental funding. Despite a promise to increase the government budget for food security from NIS 20 million to NIS 118 million in 2022, the first budget passed with only NIS 23 million in funding.

And so, I keep asking myself, why is this allowed to happen in Israel, Start-Up Nation, the world's most creative problem solver?

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