Israel's Education System Faces Severe Staff Shortages Ahead of New School Year

As Israel's new school year begins, a significant shortage of qualified personnel is plaguing the education system. Approximately 2.6 million students are returning to classes without the threat of a strike, but new data reveals the depth of the crisis. The Ministry of Education is currently short 5,000 teachers, and an alarming 8,000 teachers will be working this year without appropriate training for their roles. This includes educators lacking teaching certificates or those teaching subjects outside their expertise, such as a Bible teacher instructing English. The shortage has led to the closure of 420 kindergartens this year, an increase from 320 last year, and a rise in class sizes from an average of 27 children to 35.

School principals have reported being asked by the Ministry of Education to conceal the extent of teacher shortages in official reporting systems. They claim they were instructed to omit data indicating a lack of staff from the dedicated software, with one principal recounting being told, "If you managed, then remove from the software that you are missing teachers." This alleged directive aims to mask the severity of the staffing crisis.

A recent public opinion poll conducted for "Ulpan Shishi" revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the education system, with 68% of respondents rating it as "poor" and only 25% as "good." Even among supporters of the current government bloc, 47% gave the system a "poor" rating. The poll also indicated low confidence in the current Education Minister, Yoav Kisch, with 63% of respondents believing he should not continue in the role in the next government. Notably, 40% of voters within the government's bloc also expressed a desire for him to be replaced.