Minister of Education Gideon Saar called Tuesday for a reordering of national priorities and to upgrade education. He made the call at a Knesset meeting marking the establishment of the Knesset Lobby for the Higher Education System. Saar said that education in general, and higher education specifically, should be at the forefront of national priorities.
Minister Saar noted that there is “great importance” to the establishment of a social and political coalition that is as broad as possible, around the subject of higher education.
The Likud minister said that in the coming months, a five-year plan for higher education would be formulated. The plan would deal with the system's core problems, including countering the “brain drain” and bringing back to Israel high level Israeli professionals and academicians; changing the budgetary model; and finding a long-term approach to dealing with problems surrounding pensions, school fees and additional budgets for the system.
All this, he said, would be carried out in a dialogue between all elements in the system: the universities and colleges, the faculties, the students and the Finance Ministry.