MK Cassif: there are about 13,000 capable Palestinian Arab teachers who are unemployed, but the system
does not have the resources or the desire to employ their abilities.
A new report by the Knesset Research and Information Center, compiled at the request of MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash), points to a severe shortage of teachers in the country’s education system. The report examined highlighted the shortage of teachers, a situation that is considered a major challenge facing the education system and requires urgent treatment. At the same time, the quality of teachers and the education level pose more challenges that must be addressed in order to improve students’ academic achievements.
Although this issue has plagued the education system for a long time, in recent weeks schools have warned of a severe shortage of teachers, which may harm the start of the school year next week. It is clear from the report that the education system is failing in dealing with and overcoming this problem rather deals with it as a local shortage, partly because the issue is treated a local one instead of a national one.
In a July 2022 survey sent out to about 4,000 school principals, 583 of whom answered, researchers found that over 85% of Jewish-Israeli schools reported a severe shortage of teachers before the start of the upcoming school year. In the Palestinian Arab community, there is an even more severe shortage, with 77.5% of principals indicating there is a large or very large shortage compared to previous years. The highest deficiency rates are found in the Tel Aviv and Central Districts (96% and 94%, respectively), while in the Haifa, Jerusalem, and North Districts, showed lower rates of deficiency.
According to the report, the shortage is worst in schools serving students from higher socio-economic background compared to schools serving students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
In order to try and close the gap in the number of teachers, schools have been forced to integrate and recruit teachers without the proper qualifications into their academic curriculums, as well as reducing or eliminating schools activities and programs.
“The report proves an issue we have been talking about for years: drying up funding for the public education system and neglecting most of the public for the sake of a few wealthy people could cost us the future of our children and society as a whole,” commented MK Cassif on the report’s findings.
He added that the poor employment conditions for teachers are accompanied by the high cost of living, which worsens neglect for the profession and the significant shortage of manpower. “On the other hand, there are about 13,000 capable Palestinian Arab teachers who are unemployed, but the system does not have the resources or the desire to employ their abilities. This report is a wake-up call for all of us and we’d better wake up before it’s too late. What is required is an investment in an educational system and an improvement in terms of employment,” said MK Cassif.
