The statistic that proves: our children simply don't interest the Ministry of Education

Yael Odom presents five urgent educational challenges facing the next government: the Ministry of Education's bureaucracy, the personnel crisis, neglect of early childhood (only 2% of the budget), the failure of the matriculation system, and the lack of core studies for a quarter of students. Alongside criticism, hope is expressed for structural change and transferring authority to local municipalities.

Yael Odom presents, as part of N12's 'Year of Reckoning' project, five urgent educational challenges facing the next government. The first challenge is the Ministry of Education itself, described as a 'bureaucratic monster' that dictates 70% of decisions to schools (compared to 30% in OECD countries). The proposed solution includes establishing an independent education body, transferring authority to local municipalities, and empowering principals. The second challenge is a severe personnel crisis: a shortage of teachers and hundreds of principals, with 1,000 tenders for school management opened this year compared to an average of 700 in previous years. A school principal is quoted: 'There simply is no personnel. The situation is far more serious than the ministry admits.' The third challenge is the neglect of early childhood: only 2% of the Ministry of Education's budget (2 billion shekels) is allocated to early childhood, the caregiver-to-toddler ratio is 1:6 compared to 1:3 in the developed world, and groups can include 20 infants compared to up to six abroad. Half of the caregivers have not been trained to work with early childhood. The fourth challenge is the failure of the matriculation system, which has become the goal of studies instead of fostering curiosity and creativity. The fifth challenge is the lack of core studies for a quarter of Israel's students (the Haredi sector), creating a disconnect between 'connected Israel' and 'disconnected Israel.' Alongside the criticism, Odom expresses hope that structural change and political courage can change the situation.