Education in Israel

Refers to the comprehensive education system of Israel. Spending on education accounts

for approximately 10% of GDP, and most schools are subsidized by the state. The education
system consists of three tiers: primary education (grades 1-6, approx. ages 612), middle school
(grades 7-9, approx. ages 1215) and high school (grades 10-12, approx. ages 1518). Necessary
education takes place from kindergarten through to 12th grade. The school year begins on
September 1, ending for elementary school pupils on 30 June, and for middle school and high
school pupils on 20 June (Izenberg, 2013).
Education in Israel is highly valued in the national culture with its historical values dating
back to Ancient Israel as education was viewed as one of the fundamental blocks of Ancient
Israelite life and civilization. Israeli culture views higher education as the key to higher mobility
and socioeconomic status in Israeli society. The emphasis of education within Israeli society goes
to the gulf within the Jewish diaspora from the Renaissance and Enlightenment Movement all the
way to the roots of Zionism in the 1880s. Jewish communities in the Levant were the first to
introduce compulsory education for which the organized community, not less than the parents,
was responsible for the education of the next generation of Jews. With contemporary Jewish
culture's strong emphasis, promotion of scholarship and learning and the strong propensity to
promote cultivation of intellectual pursuits as well as the nation's high university educational
attainment rate demonstrates how highly Israeli society values higher education (Izenberg, 2013).
Israels populace is well educated and Israeli society highly values education. In 2012, the
country ranked second among OECD countries (tied with Japan and after Canada) for the

percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds that have attained tertiary education with 46 percent compared
with the OECD average of 32 percent. In addition, nearly twice as many Israelis aged 5564 held
a higher education degree compared to other OECD countries, with 47 percent holding an
academic degree compared with the OECD average of 25%. It ranks fifth among OECD
countries for the total expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP. In 2011,
the country spent 7.3% of its GDP on all levels of education, comparatively more than the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average of 6.3% and as a result has
fostered an education system that helped transform the country and rapidly grow its economy
over the past 70 years (Izenberg, 2013).
The Israeli education system has been praised for various reasons, including its high quality and
its major role in spurring Israel's economic development and technological boom. Many
international business leaders and organizations such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the
technology giant IBM have praised Israel for its high quality of education in helping spur Israel's
economic development (Izenberg, 2013).