Significant Teacher Migration from Religious to Secular Education Eases Israeli Teacher Shortage
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
In 2025, a large portion of teacher graduates from Israel's state religious and Arab education sectors moved into the state secular Hebrew education system, helping alleviate teacher shortages. New teacher training enrollments hit a record high in 2026, mainly driven by growth outside the secular Hebrew sector where shortages persist.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- 42% of state religious education teacher graduates in 2025 worked in the secular Hebrew education system.
- 75% of academic retraining graduates from the religious sector joined secular education in 2025.
- 9% of ultra-Orthodox seminaries graduates entered secular education, 23% stayed in religious education.
- 24% of Arab education graduates found jobs in the Hebrew education system in 2025.
- New teacher training enrollments rose 9% from 6,500 in 2025 to 7,000 in 2026, a record high.
- Growth in new teacher students was strongest in religious and Arab sectors, not in secular Hebrew education.
In 2025, 42% of graduates from teacher training programs in Israel's state religious education sector were employed in the state secular Hebrew education system, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. Additionally, 75% of those completing academic retraining programs in the state religious sector found jobs in the secular system, while 29% of bachelor's degree graduates in teaching from the religious sector also joined secular education. Among graduates from ultra-Orthodox seminaries, 9% entered the secular state education system and 23% remained in the state religious sector. Furthermore, 24% of Arab education graduates secured positions in the Hebrew education system. This data highlights that one key method to address the teacher shortage in the state secular Hebrew education system is absorbing teachers from other educational streams, despite differing foundational values.
The number of new students enrolling in teacher training programs rose by 9%, from 6,500 in 2025 to 7,000 in 2026, marking a new record surpassing the previous high of approximately 6,700 in 2016. This increase follows a low point of 5,200 new students in 2023. However, most of this growth occurred outside the state secular Hebrew education sector, where the teacher shortage is most acute. Specifically, new student numbers in the secular Hebrew sector increased by about 3%, from 2,400 in 2025 to 2,500 in 2026. The state religious sector saw a 12.3% rise, from 2,700 to 2,900 new students, indicating a larger influx despite the secular sector being significantly bigger. The Arab education sector also experienced a 12.5% increase, from 1,500 to 1,700 new students, despite having a substantial surplus of teachers.
