Israeli Finance Ministry Launches Emergency Plan to Address Teacher Shortage Before School Year

With only two weeks remaining before the start of the school year, Israel faces a severe shortage of teachers, particularly in the public education system where approximately 5,000 teaching positions remain unfilled. In response, the Finance Ministry has introduced a series of emergency measures aimed at attracting new personnel to the teaching profession.

Starting immediately, elementary and middle school principals will be authorized to hire candidates without teaching certificates under personal contracts. These contracts can now cover up to 100% of a full-time position, an increase from the previous 60% limit. Additionally, schools may allocate up to 6% of their teaching staff under these personal contracts. Salaries for such positions will rise by 2,000 shekels per month, reaching up to 19,500 shekels.

Beyond salary enhancements, the ministry is also offering monthly bonuses of up to 1,000 shekels to teachers who lead educational initiatives or projects within their schools. This incentive can be awarded to multiple teachers per school, encouraging innovation and engagement. For example, a teacher who establishes a special project like a therapeutic garden could receive this monthly bonus.

These new guidelines complement other emergency efforts, such as a dedicated support platform launched by the Local Government Center, which invites citizens able to teach at least eight hours a week to assist schools amid the crisis. While education officials welcome these tools, they emphasize that these measures come at the "last minute," with thousands of teaching vacancies still unfilled as the school year approaches.