Economic Short-sightedness: Investing in Arab Society Could Yield NIS 10 Billion Annually
Translated & summarized from TheMarker by baba
Investing in the education and employment of Arab citizens in Israel could boost the national economy by NIS 10 billion annually, according to the Taub Center. This potential economic gain exceeds that of housing reforms or Haredi integration. Despite this, the outgoing government has significantly cut budgets for Arab society's development programs over the past four years, impacting employment and industrial initiatives.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- Investing in Arab citizens' education and employment could boost Israel's economy by NIS 10 billion yearly.
- Arab students' PISA test scores in Israel lag behind most Arabic-speaking nations.
- Hundreds of millions of shekels were cut from Arab society's development budgets by the outgoing government.
- Budget cuts affected programs for employment, technological training, and industrial zones for Arab citizens.
Arab students in Israel score lower on PISA tests than in most Arabic-speaking countries and the Palestinian Authority. The Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, formerly the Aaron Institute, suggests that investing in the education and employment of Arab citizens could boost the GDP by NIS 10 billion per year, surpassing the economic impact of housing reforms or integrating the Haredi population.
For outgoing government ministers May Golan, Bezalel Smotrich, and other members, budget cuts and erosion of the five-year plans for Arab society have become a flagship project. Throughout the government's four-year term, hundreds of millions of shekels were cut from development budgets for the Arab public. Funding for employment promotion programs, such as for "Rayan" centers, technological training, and industrial zone development for Arab society, was reduced or diverted to other purposes under various pretexts.
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