Israeli Parents' Leader Criticizes Education System Failures and Teacher Organizations

Einav Delach, deputy chair of Israel's National Parents' Leadership, reflects on a challenging school year marked by ongoing educational crises and security tensions. She describes the education system as collapsing, with significant pedagogical, social, and emotional gaps among students. Recent results from the national science exams for ninth graders revealed alarmingly low achievement rates, highlighting urgent needs for budget reallocation, infrastructure investment, and pedagogical reform.

Delach emphasizes that the education system faces many challenges, including a severe teacher shortage and excessive reforms that burden educators with responsibilities beyond their training. She argues that while teachers' organizations are important for protecting teachers' rights, they wrongly shift responsibility for systemic problems onto parents. Parents, she says, play a crucial role in supporting students and compensating for the education ministry's shortcomings.

The article also references a social media post by Linoy Bar Gefen, who chose homeschooling for her son, illustrating parental frustration with the current system. Delach criticizes the failed summer school extension program initiated in response to the Iran conflict, calling it ineffective due to its voluntary nature and lack of private sector involvement.

The National Parents' Leadership actively advocates for children's and parents' rights, including filing a petition to the Supreme Court demanding equal education funding across different educational streams. They also campaign for compensation for parents who stay home when schools close and have pushed for changes to matriculation exams and the introduction of financial education in schools. Delach, who also runs a human resources business, dedicates many volunteer hours to this cause out of a sense of mission.