Classes Canceled Almost Every Week: Grim Data on Teacher Shortage Revealed

A survey by the Manor Center among 1,035 parents reveals that 63% reported class cancellations due to teacher shortages, with 77% in the state-secular education system. The Ministry of Education denies the severity, but Prof. Itai Mazrav warns that the quantitative shortage has become qualitative.

A survey by the Manor Center, conducted by the Geocartography Institute among a representative sample of 1,035 parents, reveals that 63% of parents reported that during the past school year, classes or school days were canceled due to a shortage of teachers and kindergarten teachers. In the state-secular education system, the figure jumps to 77%, with 20% of parents stating that cancellations occur almost every week. In the state-religious education system, 67.6% reported cancellations; in the state-Arab system, 54%; and in the Haredi system, 33.7%, with 61.4% of Haredi parents reporting no cancellations at all. The Ministry of Education claims the shortage is minor and concentrated in the center, but Prof. Itai Mazrav, an expert in education policy from Northeastern University, warns that official data do not reflect the severity of the problem. He compares the situation to a shortage of surgeons in hospitals, arguing that the quantitative shortage has become a qualitative one. Mazrav calls for raising the bar and making teaching a prestigious profession, rather than lowering the threshold. The article notes that the education system comprises four separate systems with unique characteristics and shortages, including differences in teacher training and curricula.