The Cabinet approved today the proposal by Education Minister Limor Livnat changing the composition of the influential Council for Higher Education. For the first time, the universities will not have a majority on this body, and their number will be limited to 12, just under half. The Council for Higher Education, headed by the Minister of Education, grants accreditation, authorizes the awarding of academic degrees, and advises the government on the development and financing of higher education and scientific research.
When Israel gained independence in 1948, Israel\'s two universities - the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa (Technion) and Hebrew University in Jerusalem - total enrollment at both totaled about 1,600. Today, about 149,000 students attend the country\'s institutions of higher learning: 97,000 in universities, 28,000 in colleges, and some 24,000 who participate in courses through the Open University.
Physics Prof. Yuval Ne\'eman, former Minister of Science, explained to Arutz-7 today, \"It\'s important to note that universities are not only a place for students to study, but also for research. Research is carried out also in government laboratories, as well as in industry - but the real results come from universities.\" Ne\'eman said that he understood Minister Livnat\'s motives, but that \"she may have gone too far.\" Livnat, using the word \'cartel\' to describe the universities\' monopoly on higher education funding, said that the number of students in colleges had increased, and that the universities\' role in determining public policy was exaggerated. Last night a partial compromise was reached, in that there will be more science-and-technology representatives in the universities\' \"quota\" on the Council, and less from the humanities.
When Israel gained independence in 1948, Israel\'s two universities - the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa (Technion) and Hebrew University in Jerusalem - total enrollment at both totaled about 1,600. Today, about 149,000 students attend the country\'s institutions of higher learning: 97,000 in universities, 28,000 in colleges, and some 24,000 who participate in courses through the Open University.
Physics Prof. Yuval Ne\'eman, former Minister of Science, explained to Arutz-7 today, \"It\'s important to note that universities are not only a place for students to study, but also for research. Research is carried out also in government laboratories, as well as in industry - but the real results come from universities.\" Ne\'eman said that he understood Minister Livnat\'s motives, but that \"she may have gone too far.\" Livnat, using the word \'cartel\' to describe the universities\' monopoly on higher education funding, said that the number of students in colleges had increased, and that the universities\' role in determining public policy was exaggerated. Last night a partial compromise was reached, in that there will be more science-and-technology representatives in the universities\' \"quota\" on the Council, and less from the humanities.