What is a school like in Israel?
Israel is a complex multicultural country, and education is a precious legacy. They follow the tradition of the past generations, and education continues to have a fundamental value, and it is recognized as the key to the child’s future. Their educational system also aims to prepare their children to prosper, flourish and become responsible members of a democratic, pluralistic society in which the people from various religious, cultural and political backgrounds coexist. If you want to experience their culture and education dynamics in proximity, you can avail of an Israeli Online Visa.
Their education is highly based on Jewish values and the principles of liberty and tolerance. The institutions seek to impart a high level of knowledge, and they also emphasize the technical skills which are essential for the development of the country.
Challenges
The state of Israel was founded in the year 1948, and it was a fully functional education system. The pre-state Jewish community also maintained it. After the establishment of the state, the Israeli education system has undergone tremendous reformations, and they also integrated many immigrant children from over 70 countries. To meet the demands of classrooms and teachers, many special tools and new methodologies were developed to help these youngsters from many cultural backgrounds in the school. They have also made active efforts to introduce immigrant pupils to the languages such as Jewish and Hebrew. The Ministry of education also taught many exceptional courses. They have aided with many modern educational practices, such as upgrading teacher status, promoting scientific and technological studies and mandating gender equality.
ETV which is a unit of the Ministry of Education, helps produce and broadcast academic programs for use in school classrooms.
Preschool education
Israeli people believe in providing their children with an augmented head start regarding socialization and language development. Hence, they believe in educating their children at a very young age. Many children who are two or three years old attend preschool. Most of the preschool programs are sponsored by the local authorities. Some of the programs are within the day-care centres, and women operate them. There are unique resources allocated to aid preschool education in disadvantaged areas.
Kindergarten for five-year-old children has been made mandatory, and it is free. The curriculum also aims to teach all the fundamental skills, such as numerical concepts and language. This, in turn, helps foster the cognitive and creative capacities for promoting their social abilities. The curriculum which is laid by the school ensures a solid foundation for future learning.
Primary and Secondary education
For ages 6 to 16, school attendance is mandatory. It is divided into three parts-
- Formal education – Primary school – Grades 1-6.
- Intermediate school- Grades 7-9.
- Secondary school- Grades- 10-12.
Around 9% of the school population post-primary schooling attends boarding schools.
The type of schools are divided into four major types-
- State schools- A majority of pupils attends these.
- State religious schools- They emphasize Jewish studies.
- Traditional schools- Arab and Druze schools emphasize religion and culture.
- Private schools- They operate under various religious and international auspices.
Some new schools have also been founded that reflect the philosophies and beliefs of specific groups of educators.
Curriculum
Most hours of one’s school days are entirely devoted to academic studies. Each school has the liberty to choose from a wide range of study units and teaching materials the Israeli Ministry of Education provides. They also aim at enhancing the understanding of the pupil about their society and each year a special topic of national importance is studied in depth.
Education for the Exceptional Children
The children who are in the top three percent of their class are allowed to participate in the enrichment program. They emphasize not only on imparting knowledge but also in applying the concepts mastered to other disciplines.
Children with mental, physical and learning disabilities are placed by their schools in appropriate frameworks according to the nature of their handicap. They also helps them achieve maximum integration into the vocational life of their community. Others also attend regular schools where the students are assigned to self-contained groups with supplementary tutoring.
The responsibility for the well-being of children is shared by the psychologists, the health care professionals and the social workers. A committee which is appointed by the Ministry of Education is instrumental in determining the eligibility of the handicapped children for the special education programs, which are free from age 3 to 21.
Many secondary schools also offer specialized curriculum which gives them a vocational diploma. The country also has military preparatory schools which supplements in training the future career personnel and the technicians in specific fields which are required by the Israel Defense Forces. The comprehensive schools are the ones which offer studies in a variety of vocations which range from bookkeeping to mechanics, electronic and graphic design.