Half of Elementary Science Teachers Lack Formal Training, High Turnover Among New STEM Educators Reported

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics for the 2022-2023 school year reveals a significant gap in formal training among elementary science teachers in Israel, with only about 52% holding appropriate certification. This indicates that nearly half of the science teachers at the elementary level are not officially qualified to teach their subjects. In contrast, middle school science teachers show improvement, with approximately 80% certified in recent years.

The report also highlights high attrition rates among new teachers in technology and STEM fields. For computer science educators, the average turnover rate is 13.6% after one year, rising sharply to 25% after three years and reaching 30.6% within five years. Among new elementary mathematics teachers, 9.4% leave the profession within their first year.

These figures underscore challenges in staffing and retaining qualified teachers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in Israel, as identified through a multi-year trend analysis by the Central Bureau of Statistics.