2.6 million students and 260 thousand staff: education system prepares for the 5787 school year
Ministry of Education data presented to the Knesset Education Committee reveals the scale of the system ahead of the new school year. Over half a million children will attend kindergartens, while approximately 2.08 million will study in grades 1-12. Some 418,000 students are eligible for special education services.
Approximately 2.6 million students are preparing to begin the 5787 school year, supported by about 260,000 teaching staff, according to data presented on Thursday to the Knesset Education Committee as part of preparations for the upcoming academic year.
According to the figures, 2,611,000 students will be enrolled in the education system for the 5787 school year. Of these, about 2,082,000 will study in grades 1-12, and approximately 529,000 children will attend kindergartens. Additionally, 225,845 toddlers are expected to be in daycare facilities.
Special Education
A significant figure concerns special education: about 418,000 students are eligible for special education services, representing approximately 16% of the total student population. This figure illustrates the scale of the challenge facing the education system regarding the provision of adapted solutions, the integration of students into regular educational frameworks, and the allocation of professional personnel.
Infrastructure and Personnel
The education system is expected to operate through 27,757 educational institutions in the upcoming year, including 5,957 schools and 21,800 kindergartens. In total, about 89,000 classes are expected to operate nationwide, alongside 5,143 supervised daycares.
The scale of the system's workforce was also highlighted during the discussion. Data indicates that about 260,000 teaching staff will work in the system, including approximately 228,000 teachers, 27,400 kindergarten teachers, and 5,957 principals.
These figures were presented against the backdrop of preparations for the school year and the accompanying challenges, such as filling teaching positions, managing the large number of students eligible for special education, and meeting the needs of millions of students across tens of thousands of institutions.
During the session, data on non-formal education was also provided, noting that 3,569 branches of youth movements and organizations operate across the country, involving hundreds of thousands of members, in addition to 5,159 frameworks for youth and placement.
