Israel Expands AI-Based English Teaching to All Middle Schools

Israel’s Education Ministry said it will expand the “English 720” curriculum to every middle school in the country as part of a broader shift toward advanced technology in education, led by the Directorate of Communication and Technology. The move follows a successful pilot in 28 schools and is meant to put Israel at the forefront of digital education in the OECD.

The program uses a virtual teacher as a personal tutor that identifies learning gaps, gives immediate feedback, and adapts to each student’s speaking pace and learning speed. The ministry said the system is intended to raise national English scores and improve students’ attitude toward the subject.

The decision comes against the backdrop of a severe nationwide shortage of professional teachers. Many English teachers have reacted with anger and concern, warning that a rapid and nearly total shift to technological teaching tools could seriously harm their livelihoods and eliminate the profession in schools.

To calm those fears, the ministry stressed that artificial intelligence will not fully or permanently replace human teachers. Instead, it said teachers will remain essential, but their role will change into more focused mentorship, using system-generated data and progress reports to pinpoint weaknesses and provide targeted help to improve English learning in Israel.