OECD Report Highlights Israel's Education System Shortcomings

A new OECD report on education systems presents a stark picture of Israel's educational landscape, reinforcing findings from the recent PISA 2025 tests which indicated low achievement among Israeli students compared to the OECD average. The report reveals that Israeli students are taught in larger classes than their OECD counterparts. In 2024, elementary school classes in Israel averaged around 27 students, compared to 21 in the OECD, with middle school classes even larger at approximately 30 students versus the OECD average of 23.

Furthermore, the report highlights a significant decline in the relative salaries of Israeli middle school teachers. Between 2015 and 2023, their real wages decreased by 19 percentage points relative to other highly educated professionals, marking the largest drop among reporting countries. While teachers' salaries did increase by 8% in real terms during this period, the earnings of other highly educated individuals grew at a faster rate, suggesting teaching is falling behind competitive alternatives.

Research from the Arlozorov Forum corroborates these findings, showing that in 2022, Israeli teachers earned approximately 1,624 shekels less per month than similarly qualified public sector employees, and nearly double that amount less than comparable workers across the entire economy. These salary gaps are a long-standing issue, persisting for many years. While not definitively stated as the sole cause of the system's struggles, these economic factors are likely contributing, exacerbating existing problems that were present even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war.

The OECD report also addresses the teacher shortage, a recurring issue in Israel, emphasizing that competitive salaries and reasonable working conditions are crucial for attracting and retaining qualified staff. Past Israeli data indicates that over a third of graduates from teacher training programs do not enter the education system, and 22% of new teachers leave within five years. The PISA 2025 report also noted that half of Israeli 15-year-olds attend schools where principals report that teacher shortages negatively impact instruction.

Dr. Yael Navon, a researcher at the Arlozorov Forum, stated that the findings underscore the need for significant systemic reform. She argues that substantial salary increases are necessary to reduce teacher attrition and address staffing difficulties. Bridging the salary gap to match the average public sector wage would require an additional 4.07 billion shekels annually, while aligning Israel's education spending, particularly teacher salaries, with the OECD average would necessitate approximately 32 billion shekels. Navon stresses that the education system requires adequate investment to attract and retain teachers and provide optimal learning conditions, especially given Israel's high birth rate and growing student population, compounded by the impacts of the pandemic and war.