Education Minister Gidon Sa’ar announced Tuesday that the ten schools with the highest IDF enlistment rates will receive an award and cash prize in recognition of their contribution to Israeli society.
“One of the goals of the Education Ministry for the coming year is to encourage enlistment to the IDF,” Sa’ar said. “We value schools that have high enlistment rates and believe it points towards a quality education.”
All of the top ten schools are members of the settlement division of the Education Ministry which deals mainly with schools in rural communities and focuses on educating students towards a connection with the Land of Israel, as well as agriculture and environmental issues.
Five of the top ten schools are religious, while three of them are in Judea, Samaria, or the Golan Heights. The schools also have high matriculation rates ranging from 60 percent to 80 percent. A list of the ten follows.
1. Sde Eliyahu – a religious school in the Jordan Valley
2. Hispin – a religious school in the Golan Heights
3. Sulam Tzur – in the western Galilee
4. Neve Shmuel – a religious school in Efrat
5. Brenner – located near Rehovot
6. Emek Hahula – in the Galilee
7. Emek Yizrael – in the Galilee
8. Kvutzat Yavneh – a religious school near Ashdod
9. Carmel Zevulun – near Haifa
10. Or Etzion – a religious school in Merkaz Shapira