Education in Israel

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Education in Israel is an important part of life and culture in Israel. Israel has a developed and comprehensive education system, reformed over the years to adhere to secular trends in education. Education expenditure in Israel is approximately 10% of GDP and education is, for the most part provided by the state. Education in Israel tends to start at about age two with children attending a pre-school, until age five, when children move on to a kindergarten, which is when education becomes compulsory. Formal education starts at age six in primary school (grades 1-6) and continues with intermediate school (grades 7-9) and secondary school (grades 10-12). Approximately 9% of the school population in post-primary level attends boarding schools. Education is compulsary in Israel until age 16, whilst it continues to be provided for free until age 18.

Due to Israel's diverse population, schools are divided into four groups: state schools, state religious schools, Arab and Druze schools, and private schools. State schools are attended by the majority of pupils, while state religious schools are aimed towards Orthodox Jewish children with emphasis on Jewish studies, tradition and observance. Arab and Druze schools have teaching in Arabic and focus on Arab and Druze history, religion and culture, whilst the private school sector operates under various different organisations, and as such focus on different aspects of education.

[edit] Israeli education system

The education system in Israel, up to secondary education level, consists of three tiers: the primary education (grades 1-6), followed by a middle school (grades 7-9) and then high school (grades 10-12). Compulsory education is from grades 1 to 12.

Secondary education consists mostly of preparation 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]

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, one of them open (see also: List of universities and colleges in Israel).

[edit] Comparisons

While quite small in size, Israel by far has the largest amount of Yale University alumni in the Middle East.[3]

[edit] Webometrics Rankings

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. Image:Flag of Israel.svg Hebrew University of Jerusalem (145)

2. Image:Flag of Israel.svg Weizmann Institute of Science (207)

3. Image:Flag of Israel.svg Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (231)

4. Image:Flag of Israel.svg Tel Aviv University (249)

5. Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Bilkent University (410)

6. Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Middle East Technical University (451)

7. Image:Flag of Israel.svg Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (487)

8. Image:Flag of Israel.svg Bar-Ilan University (551)

9. Image:Flag of Israel.svg University of Haifa (553)

10. Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Boğaziçi University (572)

[edit] Matriculation recipients (by city)

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).[5] 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. See www.adva.org for additional updated information on this topic.

[edit] Modern challenges

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.^[1] 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 has virtually stalled the high schools in the country for more than a month.^[1]

[edit] See also

• Education Minister of Israel
• 2007 Israeli student strike

[edit] Citations

[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 Israelpt:Educação em Israel

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