State education must return to the center of the agenda, not as an election platform add-on

Very soon a new school year will begin, which state education in Israel is approaching at one of the lowest points it has ever known. For years, its status has been eroded, the gaps between the various streams of education have deepened, educational and management teams have been left without the support they need, and the system that is supposed to be the common infrastructure of Israeli society has been pushed down the national priority list.

The shortage of teaching staff is deepening, violence and emotional difficulties in the system are increasing, and the burden on educational teams is becoming heavier. Principals are required to deal with more and more tasks, and do not always receive the authority and tools to do so. If we continue to see good teachers burning out and leaving, and if a generation of talented young people stops seeing education as a mission — no budget will be able to repair the damage. The next government must declare the return of teachers to the top of the national priority list, because the struggle for the future of education begins with the question of who will stand before our children tomorrow morning.

This is a national challenge, and therefore state education must return to the center of the agenda. Not as an additional item in an election platform, and not as a promise that appears a moment before September 1st, but as a commitment to rebuild a strong, high-quality, and egalitarian state education system that will give every girl and boy a real opportunity.

Decent wages for educators are a basic condition, but they are not enough. It is necessary to rebuild the status of the teaching profession, create a professional horizon and opportunities for advancement and development, and restore trust and authority to educational teams. Principals need to receive greater ability to lead, and local authorities, who know the needs on the ground up close, need to receive the tools to act. At the same time, Israel needs a deep change in the way it manages its education. The education system cannot continue to move from program to program and from one Minister of Education to another. Education is a process that is measured in years and generations, and therefore it needs a policy that is conducted in those same time frames.

We need a multi-year national program with clear and measurable goals, and the establishment of a National Council for Education that will allow for the formulation of a stable policy. This demand is shared by heads of local authorities, educators, researchers, and policy makers within the framework of the Coalition for Saving State Education. Alongside this, it is necessary to ensure real equality in budgeting between the streams of education. It is impossible to demand that state education carry a national mission on its shoulders, and in the same breath not give it the means to carry out the mission.

The State of Israel has been talking a lot in recent years about rehabilitation and revival. Revival is not limited to the rehabilitation of houses, roads, and settlements. It also requires the rebuilding of the infrastructure upon which the next generation will grow.

The author is the head of the Emek Hefer Regional Council and a member of the Coalition for Saving State Education.