Isreali education system remains stumbling block to country joining the OECD
By Martin Kornacki (20-01-2010)
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Reforming Israel’s education system and raising employment is the key to ensuring the country’s long-term economic growth, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The conclusion comes from two recently published reports reviewing the country’s labour market and social policies in the context of ongoing negotiations for Israel to become a member of the OECD, which is a group of 30 high-income countries, based in Paris.
Israel’s economy has shown resilience during the global recession, but more active education and employment policies, particularly targeted at minority groups, are needed to bolster its economic performance and bridge deep divisions within its society, says the OECD.
Launching the reports in Jerusalem, OECD secretary-general Angel Gurría said Israel’s economy has successfully weathered the economic crisis and GDP growth of 0.5 per cent in 2009 was above the projections made by many, including his organisation.
“In light of this and the faster recovery apparently underway in many trading partners, our next projections to be released in May will almost certainly be revised up, with growth somewhere between 3 per cent and 3.5 per cent for 2010 and probably over 4 per cent for 2011,” Gurría said.
But the OECD is also urging action to reduce the inequalities faced by Arab Israelis within the education system. It calls for efforts to encourage the Haredim, the ultra-orthodox Israeli Jews, to strengthen their vocational skills as part of a drive for a more self-sufficient and less poverty-ridden balance between religious worship and work.
More generally, the OECD recommends efforts to improve the performance of Israeli secondary-school students in mathematics, reading and science. These could include extending to the upper-secondary sector measures such as extra classes for small groups of pupils that are already in force in primary and lower-secondary schools.
In tertiary education, the organisation recommends a revival of efforts to combine greater resources for universities and colleges with commitments for reform, in particular increased and differentiated student tuition fees and academic pay.
Israel is one of five countries, along with Chile, Estonia, the Russian Federation and Slovenia, that were invited in May 2007 to open negotiations for membership of the OECD. Chile has successfully concluded the negotiations and recently signed an accession agreement to become the organisation’s 31st member.
The conclusion comes from two recently published reports reviewing the country’s labour market and social policies in the context of ongoing negotiations for Israel to become a member of the OECD, which is a group of 30 high-income countries, based in Paris.
Israel’s economy has shown resilience during the global recession, but more active education and employment policies, particularly targeted at minority groups, are needed to bolster its economic performance and bridge deep divisions within its society, says the OECD.
Launching the reports in Jerusalem, OECD secretary-general Angel Gurría said Israel’s economy has successfully weathered the economic crisis and GDP growth of 0.5 per cent in 2009 was above the projections made by many, including his organisation.
“In light of this and the faster recovery apparently underway in many trading partners, our next projections to be released in May will almost certainly be revised up, with growth somewhere between 3 per cent and 3.5 per cent for 2010 and probably over 4 per cent for 2011,” Gurría said.
But the OECD is also urging action to reduce the inequalities faced by Arab Israelis within the education system. It calls for efforts to encourage the Haredim, the ultra-orthodox Israeli Jews, to strengthen their vocational skills as part of a drive for a more self-sufficient and less poverty-ridden balance between religious worship and work.
More generally, the OECD recommends efforts to improve the performance of Israeli secondary-school students in mathematics, reading and science. These could include extending to the upper-secondary sector measures such as extra classes for small groups of pupils that are already in force in primary and lower-secondary schools.
In tertiary education, the organisation recommends a revival of efforts to combine greater resources for universities and colleges with commitments for reform, in particular increased and differentiated student tuition fees and academic pay.
Israel is one of five countries, along with Chile, Estonia, the Russian Federation and Slovenia, that were invited in May 2007 to open negotiations for membership of the OECD. Chile has successfully concluded the negotiations and recently signed an accession agreement to become the organisation’s 31st member.
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