I am sitting at my favorite dining place in Haifa, The Ego Food & Coffee eating Maafe Cinnamon or a Danish and drinking my beloved Absolute brand of Vodka. It is located in the world famous Dan Panorama Mall, adjacent to the fabulous hotel.
“I lived in America for a while and discovered that many of the challenges facing youth in both places are similar but the ways to success are different,” Danit declared enthusiastically.
Primary, Secondary, High School, Trade School, University - Education in Israel
My definition of Education in Israel refers to the comprehensive system of Israel. Expenditures on education account for approximately 10% of the national GDP. Most schools are subsidized by the state. The education system consists of three tiers: primary education (grades 1-6, approx. ages 6–12), middle school (grades 7-9, approx. ages 12–15) and high school (grades 10-12, approx. ages 15–18). Compulsory education takes place from kindergarten through to 12th grade.
A recent report found that 78% of the money invested in education is from public funds, and that 45% of the population has a university or college diploma.
Main article: Bagrut
Bagrut certificate from 1983
My friend Sher jokes with me that I provide free tutoring in English to help her prepare for her Israeli matriculation exams (bagrut). These are exams covering various academic disciplines, which are studied in units (yehidot limud) of one to five on an ascending scale of difficulty. Students can only move forward with a passing mark on the mandatory matriculation subjects (Hebrew language, English language, mathematics, scripture, history, state studies and literature). Sher surprised me by telling me that she attends an open or external school. It reminds me of home schooling in America without the parents.
After completing secondary education, young people are generally conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Young men serve for three years and women for two. National service is an option; our bartender Shoshana chose this route. " I am not the military type but wanted to do my share." Shosh volunteered to work at a program for children at risk.
Universities generally require a certain amount of bagrut matriculation units (as well as a certain grade average) and a good grade in the Psychometric Entrance Test, which is similar in many respects to the American SAT. All of Israel's nine public universities, and some of its colleges, are subsidized by the state, and students pay only a small part of the actual cost of tuition.
The Psychometric Entrance Test (colloquially known in Hebrew simply as "psychometry", פסיכומטרי) is a standardized test used as a higher education admission exam. The PET covers three areas: quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and the English language. It is administered by the Israeli National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (NITE) and is heavily weighed for university admissions. The test may be taken in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, or combined Hebrew/English. I served as a tutor of English in this program during my first two years in Haifa.
Israeli teachers have to contend with large classes, low wages and low morale.
Classrooms in Israel are some of the largest in the world; teachers are some of the lowest paid.
In 1999 in an attempt to close the gap between Arab and Jewish education sectors, the Israeli education minister Yossi Sarid announced an affirmative action policy, promising that Arabs would be granted 25% of the education budget, more than their proportional share in the population (18%). He also added that the ministry would support the creations of an Arab academic college. The University of Haifa campus bustles with students from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Druze backgrounds from all over the world.
The department of Education announced in April 2010 that our Christian Arabs tend to have had the highest rates of success in the matriculation examinations, both in comparison to the Muslims and the Druze but also to students in the Jewish education system. Please watch my documentary that describes more about life in Haifa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Needless to say, I am searching for story ideas to put in my next post. My favorite servers, Danit, Shoshana, and Sher suggest that I write about the challenges facing Israeli youth. Sher attends Bet Sefer Tichon (High School) in Haifa. Shoshana just completed her BA in graphic design. Danit recently started her Master's program in media studies at the University of Haifa.
“I lived in America for a while and discovered that many of the challenges facing youth in both places are similar but the ways to success are different,” Danit declared enthusiastically.
Primary, Secondary, High School, Trade School, University - Education in Israel
My definition of Education in Israel refers to the comprehensive system of Israel. Expenditures on education account for approximately 10% of the national GDP. Most schools are subsidized by the state. The education system consists of three tiers: primary education (grades 1-6, approx. ages 6–12), middle school (grades 7-9, approx. ages 12–15) and high school (grades 10-12, approx. ages 15–18). Compulsory education takes place from kindergarten through to 12th grade.
A recent report found that 78% of the money invested in education is from public funds, and that 45% of the population has a university or college diploma.
Main article: Bagrut
Bagrut certificate from 1983
My friend Sher jokes with me that I provide free tutoring in English to help her prepare for her Israeli matriculation exams (bagrut). These are exams covering various academic disciplines, which are studied in units (yehidot limud) of one to five on an ascending scale of difficulty. Students can only move forward with a passing mark on the mandatory matriculation subjects (Hebrew language, English language, mathematics, scripture, history, state studies and literature). Sher surprised me by telling me that she attends an open or external school. It reminds me of home schooling in America without the parents.
After completing secondary education, young people are generally conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Young men serve for three years and women for two. National service is an option; our bartender Shoshana chose this route. " I am not the military type but wanted to do my share." Shosh volunteered to work at a program for children at risk.
Universities generally require a certain amount of bagrut matriculation units (as well as a certain grade average) and a good grade in the Psychometric Entrance Test, which is similar in many respects to the American SAT. All of Israel's nine public universities, and some of its colleges, are subsidized by the state, and students pay only a small part of the actual cost of tuition.
The Psychometric Entrance Test (colloquially known in Hebrew simply as "psychometry", פסיכומטרי) is a standardized test used as a higher education admission exam. The PET covers three areas: quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning and the English language. It is administered by the Israeli National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (NITE) and is heavily weighed for university admissions. The test may be taken in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, or combined Hebrew/English. I served as a tutor of English in this program during my first two years in Haifa.
Israeli teachers have to contend with large classes, low wages and low morale.
Classrooms in Israel are some of the largest in the world; teachers are some of the lowest paid.
In 1999 in an attempt to close the gap between Arab and Jewish education sectors, the Israeli education minister Yossi Sarid announced an affirmative action policy, promising that Arabs would be granted 25% of the education budget, more than their proportional share in the population (18%). He also added that the ministry would support the creations of an Arab academic college. The University of Haifa campus bustles with students from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Druze backgrounds from all over the world.
The department of Education announced in April 2010 that our Christian Arabs tend to have had the highest rates of success in the matriculation examinations, both in comparison to the Muslims and the Druze but also to students in the Jewish education system. Please watch my documentary that describes more about life in Haifa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Interesting to hear of the education system there.
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