Education in Israel
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| Educational oversight | ||
| National education budget | ([[]]) | |
| Primary language(s) | Hebrew & Arabic | |
| State & Private system |
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| Literacy () • Men • Women |
97.1 (99.5% of youth [2004])[1]% % % |
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| Enrollment • Primary • Secondary • Post-secondary |
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| Attainment • Secondary diploma • Post-secondary diploma |
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Education in Israel plays a major part in the life and culture of the country. Israel has a comprehensive education system with an emphasis on progressive educational trends. Expenditure on education accounts for approximately 10% of GDP, and most schools are subsidized by the state.
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[edit] Educational streams
In Israel, schools are divided into four streams: state, state-religious, Haredi (hinukh atzma'i) and Arab.[1] The majority of Israeli children are enrolled in state schools. State-religious schools, catering to youngsters from the Orthodox Jewish sector, offer intensive Jewish studies programs. Schools in the Arab sector teach in Arabic and offer a curriculum that emphasizes Arab history, religion and culture. The Haredi schools operate independently but must adhere to a core curriculum determined by the Ministry of Education to receive funding.
The education system consists of three tiers: primary education (grades 1-6), middle school (grades 7-9) and high school (grades 10-12). Compulsory education is from kindergarten through 12th grade.
[edit] Matriculation (Bagrut)
Secondary education prepares students for the Israeli matriculation exams (the "bhinot bagrut"). These are made up of a multitude of subject matter exams covering various academic disciplines. Within each subject matter, the difficulty level of a given test is expressed in "units of study" ("yehidot limud") for the particular subject - from 1 to 5; i.e. a 5-units exam in mathematics is significantly more difficult than a 3-units exam in mathematics.
Any student with a passing mark on the minimum required matriculation subjects (Hebrew language, English language, mathematics, scripture and literature), a total of at least 21 earned matriculation units, and at least one subject tested and passed at the 5 units level of difficulty receives a full matriculation certificate. In 2003, 56.4% of Israeli high school graduates received a matriculation certificate - 57.4% in the Hebrew sector and 50.7% in the Arab sector.[2]
Below is a table illustrating the percentage of matriculation certificate recipients in Israel's largest cities, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (graduation year of 2002).[2] It should be noted however that these data represent the percentage of those enrolled in 12th grade who earned passing marks, and thus do not reflect those teens who dropped out prior to 12th grade. Furthermore, these data do not differentiate between certificates that qualify for admission to Israel's institutions of higher education, and those that do not qualify. The Adva Center, a respected social issues think tank in Israel, has estimated that about 15% of all matriculation certificates issued in fact do not qualify the recipient for admission to Israel's universities. [3]
| City | Recipients (%) |
|---|---|
| Jerusalem | 36 |
| Tel Aviv | 60.3 |
| Haifa | 64.3 |
| Rishon LeZion | 59.2 |
| Ashdod | 55.9 |
| Ashkelon | 58.5 |
| Bat Yam | 49.5 |
| Beersheba | 51.5 |
| Holon | 55.3 |
| Netanya | 52 |
| Petah Tikva | 57 |
| Ramat Gan | 65.3 |
[edit] Higher education
After secondary education, students are generally conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but may request an extension of the conscription date to study at a pre-service Mechina, or in a college or university. Those who study in a university at this stage generally do so under a program called atuda, where their Bachelor's Degree is paid for by the army. They are however obligated to sign a contract with the army extending their service by 2-3 years.
After service in the Israel Defense Forces, any Israeli with a full matriculation certificate can proceed to higher education. Universities generally require a certain amount of matriculation units (as well as a certain grade average) and a good grade in the Psychometric Entrance Test. All universities, and some colleges, are subsidized by the state, and students pay only a small part of the actual cost as tuition.
Israel has eight universities.
[edit] Comparisons and rankings
While small in size, Israel by far has the largest amount of Yale University alumni in the Middle East.[3]
Top ten universities in the Middle East according to Webometrics (2006).[4] Israeli universities no longer compete with other Middle Eastern schools in Webometrics, and are now considered European. Four Israeli universities are included in the European Top 100.
1. 
Hebrew University of Jerusalem (145)
2. Weizmann Institute of Science (207)
3. Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (231)
4. Tel Aviv University (249)
5. 
Bilkent University (410)
6. Middle East Technical University (451)
7. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (487)
8. Bar-Ilan University (551)
9. University of Haifa (553)
10. Boğaziçi University (572)
[edit] Status of teachers
Despite having one of the world's top quality education system and institutions, Israel faces serious challenges for the future. Declining government funding and poor pay for teachers have led to diminishing student performance. While Israel was amongst the top-ranked nations in international rankings for science and mathematics performance in the 1960s, it stood 33rd out of 41 nations in the 2002 survey.[4] Wages for Israeli teachers stood lowest amongst industrialized nations, according to a survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Low wages have caused thousands of teachers to leave the education field for better-paying jobs or to work abroad, causing a rising "Brain drain." Such concerns led to the 2007 Israeli student strike, which virtually stalled the high schools in the country for more than a month.[4]
[edit] See also
- Education Minister of Israel
- 2007 Israeli student strike
- List of universities and colleges in Israel
[edit] References
- ^ Israel News : Bravo to Michael Melchior
- ^ st08_21.xls
- ^ http://www.adva.org/ www.adva.org
- ^ a b BusinessWeek; "The Crisis in Israel's Classrooms"; pages 92-93;November 19, 2007
[edit] External links
- Fifty Years of Education in the State of Israel
- 'Boycotts are like burning books'
- Students vote Technion best higher education institution in Israel
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