Report: Israeli Classes Over-Crowded, Teachers Underpaid

Israel has some of the most overcrowded school classes in the developed world, according to the OECD “Education at a Glance” report, issued on Tuesday.

Among elementary school children, classes are 25% more crowded than the OECD average, with 26.4 children per class compared to the average of 21.1.

The gap remains in high schools, with an Israeli class having on average 28.2 children compared to 23.3 for all OECD countries.

Kindergarten teachers earn 3% more than their colleagues in other countries but this seems to be an exception to the rule, as elementary and high-school teachers earn 6% less.

Israeli children study 958 hours per year, compared to 804 hours in the rest of the OECD. Despite the long hours, the children score poorly on international tests such as the one issued by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018, which found that Israel leads the world in gaps between the various groups that compose its society.

Arab-Israeli students, the PISA study found last year, scored at the bottom of all OECD students. (JPost / VFI News)

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. —Proverbs 18:15

“God, we ask that you give aid to the teachers and students of Israel—that they may teach and learn in safety and abundance.”