Classrooms in Israel are crowded and teachers wages is less than in the OECD countries

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by Ifi Reporter Category:Government Sep 16, 2021

Classrooms in Israel are more crowded, teachers pay is less than in the OECD, students study more hours and still fail to achieve better academic results than their peers in OECD countries in the meantime - according to the 21Education at a Glance 20 report published today (Thursday) on the OECD. According to the report, Israel ranks third in the OECD in terms of its investment in education as a percentage of GDP, but the gaps between it and other countries are still high.
In terms of the positive points - this year Israel also excels in its level of education. Israelis are much more educated than citizens of other developed countries, especially Israeli women. In 2020, 50.1% of Israelis had post-secondary and academic education, compared with an average of 38.6% in the OECD. In only six OECD member countries, including Israel, have higher and higher education rates of more than 50%. The other countries are Canada, the United States, Luxembourg, South Korea and Japan.
The rate of higher education among women aged 34-25 is much higher than that of men in the same age group, in Israel and in the OECD, with the difference reaching 21% in Israel and 13% in the OECD. One of the reasons why this rate is low among men in Israel is the postponement of higher education by several years because of military service.
Classrooms in Israel continue to be very crowded despite attempts by the Ministry of Education to reduce the number of students in them. In 2019, the density in Israel was about 26.3 students per class, compared to the OECD average of 21.1 students. In middle school, the average grade in Israel was 28.1, while in the OECD it was 23.3. These data are more relevant than ever now, at the height of the fourth wave of the corona, with each verified student putting about 25 students on average for isolation.
The Ministry of Education would like to point out that over the years Israel has managed to reduce the number of students in the classroom, despite the significant increase in the number of students. Between 2010 and 2019, the proportion of students in elementary and middle schools increased, but at the same time the density of them decreased. During these years, in elementary school there was an 18.1% increase in the proportion of students and in middle schools by 18.2%, and the density rate in elementary school decreased by 4.7% by 4.4% respectively.
It is also worth noting that in Israel the natural increase rate is among the highest among OECD countries, so for example the increase in the rate of 17-6 year olds in Israel is the second largest after Mexico. Between 2019-2010, the population aged 6-6 in Israel increased by 20.1%, while the average of this population increased by 0.5% in the OECD.
Compared to the OECD, spending on education in Israel is among the highest in relation to the country's GDP. In 2018, Israel spent 6.1% of GDP on educational institutions, a rate greater than the corresponding rate in the OECD at about 41%. In this index, Israel is ranked third out of all OECD countries, after Norway (6.6%) and Iceland (6.4%), and ahead of Sweden (5.8%), Chile (5.5%) and New Zealand (5.3%).
Over the years 2018-2012, the increase in annual expenditure on education in Israel amounted to 4.6% per year, compared with the OECD average, which amounted to 1.9% per year. At the same time, in these years the average increase in the number of students in Israel was 1.9% per year, compared with an almost zero rate of the OECD average. This means that the increase in expenditure per student over these years was not significantly higher - 2.6% in Israel compared with an average of 1.8% in the OECD. This, while Israel's gaps in education are still high.
The report also shows that Israel is one of the countries with the highest number of compulsory years of study in the OECD. For comparison: in the countries of the organization, on average, it is mandatory to study for about 11 years. In addition, only in Israel, Mexico, France and Hungary compulsory education begins at the age of 3.
In a normal routine in Israel, students officially study 214 days on average, compared with 186 in the OECD. In the middle school, students study in Israel for an average of 205 days, compared to 184 in the OECD, and in the upper division, students study an average of 194 days, compared to 182 in the OECD. In terms of study hours: In Israel, students study 938 hours on average, compared to 807 in the OECD, and in middle school, students study 989 hours on average, compared to 923 in the OECD.
In light of these findings, it is difficult not to recall Israel's low performance in the PISA tests conducted once every three years among OECD countries. According to the results of the last tests conducted in 2018, Israeli students were ranked well below the OECD average and even recorded a deterioration in the results, in all three areas examined - mathematics, reading and science.
The report shows that the existing wage gaps between teachers in Israel and their counterparts in other OECD countries are not high. According to the report, an Israeli middle school teacher earns less than his OECD counterpart by about 7.2%, while in the upper division by 8.5% less. In pre-primary education, the average actual salary of teachers in Israel is similar to that of their OECD counterparts.
Among school principals the picture is slightly different. Primary and upper secondary school principals in Israel are more spacious than their OECD counterparts, in middle schools - less so. In primary education, an Israeli school principal earns $ 73,483 a year, compared to the OECD average of $ 68,794 a year. In the upper division, the picture is similar - an Israeli manager earns an average of $ 83,049, compared to $ 79,033 in the OECD.
The report also shows that during 2020, after the outbreak of the corona epidemic, middle schools in Israel were closed for 93 days compared to 65 days in the OECD. In the upper division in Israel, educational institutions were closed for 76 days, compared with an average of 70 days in the OECD. Primary education was closed for 52 days compared to 58 days in the OECD, while kindergartens in Israel today are closed for 36 days compared to 43 days in the OECD.

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