Israel’s education system is failing the students who will shape its future - editorial

The Jerusalem Post editorial argues that Israel's education system is in crisis, citing a dramatic collapse in the 2025 PISA exam scores. Israel recorded its lowest-ever scores in mathematics, reading, and science, with a 29-point average decline across subjects—the second-sharpest drop among 75 countries. The piece attributes the decline partly to war disruptions but insists deeper structural reform is needed, noting that 23% of first-graders are Arabic speakers and 25% are haredim, many of whom receive substandard education.

The Jerusalem Post editorial argues that Israel's education system is in a state of crisis that constitutes a national security issue. The piece centers on the 2025 PISA exam results, which show Israel recording its lowest-ever scores in mathematics, reading, and science. Israel's average score across the three subjects fell by 29 points, the second-sharpest decline among the 75 countries and economies tested, after Latvia. Specifically, mathematics fell to 433 points (down 25 from 458 in 2022), science to 442 points (down 23 from 465), and reading to 436 points (down 38 from 474). Education Minister Yoav Kisch attempted to put a positive spin on the results, attributing the decline to disruptions from the war and emphasizing resilience. However, the editorial argues that war disruptions alone do not explain the scores and that deeper structural reform is needed. It highlights that 23% of all first-graders are Arabic speakers and 25% are haredim (ultra-Orthodox), with Arabic-speaking students scoring below six of seven Arab countries in the exam and nearly all haredi students not even tested. Prof. Dan Ben-David of the Shoresh Institution warns that about half of Israeli children receive a third-world level education, and as these are the fastest-growing population segments, they will not be able to maintain a first-world economy. Ben-David proposes dismantling the four separate education streams and creating a single system with a compulsory core curriculum. The editorial concludes that education must be a priority in the upcoming election.