Collaborative Master Plan for the Israeli education system

The war caught the Israeli school system in a vulnerable condition. A growing shortage of teachers, a toxic relationship between government and the unions, and frequent turnover at the Ministry of Education, all contributed to a general ineffectiveness. These factors are exacerbated by the long-term consequences of COVID and the judicial reform, leading to severe gaps and an overarching mistrust. At present, the education system is ill-prepared for the crucial need to heal from the pandemic and the war, and to embrace the AI revolution that is coming.

There is concern among educators that no one is preparing for the future of education after the war. When the war started, schools closed instantly and reopened partially and gradually, even in areas that were not physically affected. Everyone is still operating in survival mode, focusing on the “here and now” and not on the future. The national budget also reflects this tendency, transferring tens of billions of shekels to military needs, while cutting back on social services, including education.

To address the need for a longer-term perspective and to prepare a collaborative plan for Israel’s education in the coming years, we were approached by Shlomo Dovrat and Shai Piron. Dovrat is a successful high-tech investor who headed a government committee which prepared a comprehensive plan for education 25 years ago. Piron is a former minister of education. In 2016, together they created a nonprofit organization (“Pnima”) that serves as a think tank addressing social and educational affairs.

Several months ago, Dovrat and Piron embarked on an ambitious attempt to prepare a master plan for Israel’s education for the next decade. They enlisted dozens of education scholars, former government officials, school principals and teachers, and engaged them in a learning process. These discussions led them to concentrate on the irrelevance of current curricula for the 21^st century, the socioeconomic gaps, and the diverse visions for education by the different communities.

In discussion with Dovrat and Piron, we emphasized the importance of quantitative aspects to such work. In response, Pnima is proposing to recruit analysts and economists, who would dive into local data and international benchmarks. They suggest forming a special workgroup to concentrate on the teaching of mathematics and the sciences, led by Muhana Fares, former head of the Science and Technology Department at the Ministry of Education.

The process is being coordinated with the Ministry of Finance’s Budgets Department, and the goal is to finalize a comprehensive master plan that will be submitted to the government and presented to the public by December 2024.