Israel's teachers took a hit again
Israel's teachers took a hit again

Pictures of politicians kissing babies and welcoming children on their first day of school are iconic. So, too, are press stories hailing their achievements. President Hollande of France is seen standing resolute in a classroom assuring France its children are safe from terrorism. A JPost Magazine article by Lidar Gravé-Lazi, The key to the 21st century (September 2, 2016), features Minister of Education Bennett surrounded by kids shaking hands and throwing kisses…all smiles.

Like the great businessman he is, Bennett has a plan for upgrading education. He uses the photo-op as a means to layout his worthy major goals:

  • Increase knowledge of Judaism
  • Educate children about Mizrahi history and culture
  • Teach them about Zionism and Jerusalem
  • Improve science, math, and English studies.

Here’s the rub: in November 2015 the Knesset passed a budget allocating an additional NIS6.7 billion to the Education Ministry, but by August 2016 the two years budget passed for 2017-2018 allocates far less for both years and little for bettering teacher salaries.

By 2017 it has been announced that thousands of teachers are anticipating being fired, perhaps as many as 7,000, so how much commitment and sweat will they put into their jobs this year if they are busy looking for new jobs for next year? This is a maintenance budget that belies The Post Magazine political fluff piece. If only children and teachers had an advocate for education like MK Litzman is for healthcare: Litzmanpromises ‘war’ to expand health basket.

My mother was the only person I knew able to do more with less. Less money in the budget translates first to a freeze on classroom hiring and salaries, but especially for Arab teachers and women in the system. Globes reports that while teacher salaries rise about five percent a year, rising consumer prices erode more than half the value. Teachers earn an unlivable wage, an average of NIS6,800 to 10,438 per month; haredi teachers earn half that amount. Female teachers earn ten percent less than males in the system, and new hires earn a whopping NIS 6,000 per month. Funding cuts (and the government’s reluctance to place Arab teachers in Jewish schools) for Arab schools are deeper and more widespread leaving a pool of 11,000 unemployed Arab teachers in northern Israel.  There is no way Bennett’s goals can be achieved.

One English teacher blogged how welcoming the staff and children in two schools were to her. “I felt like a rock star.” However, “month after month there was no sign of pay—instead, the schools and the Ministry of Education threw more and more random paperwork at me while I was patronizingly told to be patient…. I have only experienced a similar level of chaos in third world countries limping along on non-existent economies.” Mr. Bennett needs to have a beer with this young teacher if he wants to understand what life is like in the trenches.

Two years ago I wrote for Arutz Sheva that restructuring the Israel education system is a priority, “but restructuring without pay reform is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” The teachers are dedicated despite the obstacles with 80 percent returning each year. Bennett has cut class sizes from 40 students to fewer than 30, and some classrooms have teaching assistants. Olim are being recruited with the Ministry promoting the benefits of part-time work. The problem persists:  there is little room to move into full-time, well-paying positions. More than a quarter of the teachers are kept at part-time and 21 percent are temps.

I know one oleh, new immigrant, who left teaching for a job in marketing that he did not like. He interviewed this year with Israel private and public school personnel about returning, but the pay is not enough to support his family. He is not only remaining in job for which he has little enthusiasm and satisfaction, but is considering returning to live abroad like his eight ulpan classmates have already done.

My articles, and those by other critics, warn about the logy education budget, terrible teacher pay, and little room for professional growth that are a threat to Israel’s national security and economic future. They fester and then sap life out of the system. The country has few natural resources, the best being our brainpower. If we do not nurture and sustain it the country will stultify.  Bennett comes from the tech world in which salaries are among the highest in Israel. He knows full well his company would not prosper with staff paid the paltry salaries our teachers are paid. If Bennett wants to achieve his goals, he needs to take the hint from Dr. Seuss: “sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”