The article argues that Israel’s centralized education system should be replaced by a voucher model in which public funding follows each student. Under this plan, every parent would receive a state-funded voucher to spend at any school they choose, and families selecting a more expensive school would add the difference themselves. The writer says the goal is to inject market competition into schooling, improve teaching, and expand parental choice.
The case is presented as a response to a previous column about the failures of a rigid, bureaucratic system, including poor fit between schools and students, political interference, and a shortage of excellent teachers. The writer cites economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, who in his 1955 essay “The Role of Government in Education” argued that the state should finance education to support democracy, but should not run schools. The article says voucher-like funding already exists in Israeli religious secondary education and has been implemented in countries including the United States, the Netherlands, and Sweden, where it claims enrollment, graduation rates, and student achievement improved.
The piece addresses criticisms that vouchers would widen class gaps, allow schools to reject weaker or special-needs students, and invite for-profit operators to cut costs. It answers that market competition would still raise outcomes overall, while private scholarships and state regulation could protect access and standards. It also says parents would abandon schools that mistreat students, causing such schools to lose funding and either improve or close.
Beyond efficiency, the writer argues the issue is moral, saying parents are currently denied the right to choose schools that match their beliefs and values. As an example, it refers to a dispute over tefillin stands at a school and says families should be able to choose schools that either allow or reject such practices. The article concludes that vouchers are a practical step toward breaking the state monopoly, creating diverse schools, and ensuring no child is left behind.
