"A worrying statistic": 37% of students see school as a waste of time

37% of Israeli students see school as a waste of time, and 57% believe the educational institution did not prepare them for life, according to OECD data. Experts warn that teaching methods are outdated and not adapted to the AI era and the post-COVID and post-war reality. Students testify to a gap between the material studied and the skills required for adult life.

37% of Israeli students see school as a waste of time, and 57% believe the educational institution did not prepare them for adult life, according to OECD data. This data comes amid a decline in international PISA test scores. Prof. Anat Shoshani of Reichman University warns: "The achievements are the symptom, the attitudes are the disease." According to her, the children of 2026 are not the children of 2019, and the technological revolution with the AI era has rendered the old school contract obsolete. Other experts, including Prof. Tali Nahalieli and Dr. Rotem Eliyahu, point to outdated teaching methods based on rote memorization and passive learning, instead of critical thinking and problem-solving. Students cite a lack of financial education and life skills. The chairman of the National Student Council, Rotem Getreida, notes that it took seven years to introduce financial education into the system.