Israel's Education Budget Falls Short Despite High GDP Allocation

Despite Israel allocating a significant portion of its GDP to education, the per-student funding and teacher salaries lag behind international averages, according to education finance expert Professor Iris Ben-David Hadar of Bar-Ilan University. Israel invests approximately 6% of its GDP in education, which is higher than the OECD average of 4.9%. However, this figure is misleading due to Israel's particularly young population, with one-third of citizens in compulsory education age, meaning the budget is divided among a larger number of students.

When examining per-student investment, the picture changes. While early childhood education investment per capita is higher in Israel than in France, primary education investment is lower than in South Korea. Similarly, teacher salaries in Israel are considerably lower than in many other OECD countries, standing at 67% of what workers with similar training and hours earn, compared to Spain where salaries are equal and Germany where they are higher.

Professor Ben-David Hadar emphasizes that the substantial overall education budget does not automatically mean sufficient funding per student. She suggests that the issue is not solely about increasing the budget but also about ensuring its efficient and effective management. The article also references a previous podcast episode on election polls.